"One should always be wary of metaphors, as the message, or argument, is usually only as strong as the image, But, shockingly, in this particular book Yann manages to make his images stronger than his message. A point which, in my opinion, is what kept this novel from being a good read." This says it perfectly in my mind. After reading "Pi" I couldn't wait to get my hands on ANYTHING else he had written. BIG, HUGE AND GIGANTIC mistake. Left me not only with a bad taste in my mouth, I think it also left me with genuinely bad breath. Beginning - GREAT, MORE, MORE! Middle and Ending - BAD, HORRIBLE, USELESS AND HOW MANY TREES WERE SACRIFICED FOR THIS PATHETIC ATTEMPT AT WHAT? Don't ask Yann: he'd be the last to know. The ending ended NOTHING: I was taught, way back when, that stories should have a beginning, a middle and an ending. This, I refuse to call it a novel, begins beautifully and you get sucked into buying the thing. A quarter of the way through it takes a violent twist into the twilight zone, which is usually OK when in the hands of a master, but Martell is NO master in this case and it simply bleeds to death, slowly, you wishing you could cut your own wrists to die before the last page finally turns over. I will give his latest a try, "Beatrice and Virgil", but it's his last chance. As brilliant and evanescent as "The Life of Pi" was, I literally gave it to a dozen friends for Christmas, "Self" is merely 'self-indulgent' and not worth the paper it is spewed onto.

"Self" is the first book I have read by Yann Martel, it was perhaps not the best introduction to his writing, but I do intend to read more of his books. He is a talented writer, but being able to craft a riveting story and writing beautiful prose are two different things. His writing style is unique and lovely to read, some of the images he crafts in "Self" will be forever linger in my memory, but not so much can be said about the story itself.

For those who enjoy travel, languages, gender, and mild philosophy, this is an interesting read. I use the word "interesting", because I would not say this book is entirely an enjoyable read.

Yann mainly delves into two concepts in this book, the first being the flow of time and how it interacts with memory. I really enjoyed this aspect of the novel, as it is well written, quirky, and a pleasure to read. The second concept focuses on the fluidity of gender, and he raises the question as to how much gender really impacts who we are. Most people do not realize that gender-- which does not actually have anything to do physical sex characteristics-- is a social construction, and Yann does a adequate job of portraying this.

As much as I enjoyed some of Yann's ideas, he ended this book atrociously. It was rushed, over exaggerated, and left the reader wanting something much more. There was no resolution, no reason, just chaos. He abandoned many of the ideas he was developing, and instead concluded it with a poor assertion of who the character was: A thirty year old, five foot seven, brown haired Canadian. End of story... literally.

One should always be wary of metaphors, as the message, or argument, is usually only as strong as the image, But, shockingly, in this particular book Yann manages to make his images stronger than his message. A point which, in my opinion, is what kept this novel from being a good read.

This book by Yann Martel is genuinely entertaining, in the most humanely possible way. I enjoyed the way the characters are discreetly developed - often in a hilariously vivid manner - with their stories and personalities all intertwined, creating a realistic cobweb of human emotions. It is a story of human experience all too familiar, especially beautiful and enticing in the way its concept knows no barrier of language, nor age, nor gender. It is in this sense that Martel adorns his simple story of human spirit and compassion with intricate details of love, anguish, wisdom, and personal growth. And so I recommend this story to anyone inspired by modern tales of culture, humanity, or life's daily moments. Enjoy, cheers.

If you like Yann Martel's style and aren't bothered by his strange twists, you'll love this one. It's touching, intriguing and funny all at once!