Life of Pi

He and Mr. Chiba spoke with Piscine Molitor Pate/, in English, for close to three hours, taping the conversation. What follows are excerpts from the verbatim transcript. I am grateful to Mr. Okamoto for having made available to me a copy of the tape and of his final report. For the sake of clarity I have indicated who is speaking when it is not immediately apparent. Portions printed in a different font were spoken in Japanese, which I had translated.

C H A P T E R 9 6

“Hello, Mr. Patel. My name is Tomohiro Okamoto. I am from the Maritime Department in the Japanese Ministry of Transport. This is my assistant, Atsuro Chiba. We have come to see you about the sinking of the ship Tsimtsum, of which you were a passenger. Would it be possible to talk to you now?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Thank you. It is very kind of you. Now, Atsuro-kun, you’re new at this, so pay attention and seek to learn.”

“Yes, Okamoto-san”

“Is tke tape recorder on?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Good. Oh, I’m so tired! For the record, today is Fabruary 19th, 1978. Case file number 250663, concerning the disappearance of the cargo shipTsimtsum.. Are you comfortable, Mr. Patel?“

“Yes, I am. Thank you. And you?”

“We are very comfortable.”

“You’ve come all the way from Tokyo?”

“We were in Long Beach, California. We drove down.”

“Did you have a good trip?”

“We had a wonderful trip. It was a beautiful drive.”

“I had a terrible trip.”

“Yes, we spoke to the police before coming here and we saw the lifeboat.”

“I’m a little hungry.”

“Would you like a cookie?”

“Oh, yes!”

“Here you go.”

“Thank you!” ,

“You’re welcome. It’s only a cookie. Now, Mr. Patel, we were wondering if you could tell us what happened to you, with as much detail as possible.”

“Yes. I’d be happy to.”

C H A P T E R 9 7

The story.

C H A P T E R 9 8

Mr. Okamoto: “Very interesting.”

Mr. Chiba: “What a story.”

“He thinks we’refools. Mr. Patel, we’ll take a little break and then we’ll come back, yes?”

“That’s fine. I’d like another cookie.”

“Yes, of course.”

Mr. Chiba: “He’s already had plenty and most he hasn’t even eaten. They’re right there beneath his bedsheet.”

“Just give him another one. We have to humour him. We’ll be back in a few minutes.“

C H A P T E R 9 9

Mr. Okamoto: “Mr. Patel, we don’t believe your story.”

“Sorry—these cookies are good but they tend to crumble. I’m amazed. Why not?”

“It doesn’t hold up.”

“What do you mean?”

“Bananas don’t float.”

“I’m sorry?

“You said the orang-utan came floating on an island of bananas.”

“That’s right.”

“Bananas don’t float.”

“Yes, they do.”

“They’re too heavy.”

“No, they’re not. Here, try for yourself. I have two bananas right here.”

Mr. Chiba: “Where did those come from? What else does he have under his bedsheet?“

Mr. Okamoto: “Damn it. No, that’s all right.”

“There’s a sink over there.”

“That’s fine.”

“I insist. Fill that sink with water, drop these bananas in, and we’ll see who’s right.”

“We’d like to move on.”

“I absolutely insist.”

[Silence]

Mr. Chiba: “What do we do?”

Mr. Okamoto: “I feel this is going to be another very long day.”

[Sound of a chair being pushed back. Distant sound of water gushing out of a tap]

Pi Patel: “What’s happening? I can’t see from here.”

Mr. Okamoto [distantly]: “I’m filling the sink.”

“Have you put the bananas in yet?” . [Distantly] “No.”

“And now?”

[Distantly] “They’re in.”

“And?”

[Silence]

Mr. Chiba: “Are they floating?”

[Distantly] “They’re floating.”

“So, are they floating?”

[Distantly] “They’re floating.”

“What did I tell you?”

Mr. Okamoto: “Yes, yes. But it would take a lot of bananas to hold up an orang-utan.”

“It did. There was close to a ton. It still makes me sick when I think of all those bananas floating away and going to waste when they were mine for the picking.”

“It’s a pity. Now, about—”

“Could I have my bananas back, please?”

Mr. Chiba: “I’ll get them.”