Life of Lie

In the previous book O'brien admits that much of his work was invented, that a lot of what he wrote did not actually happen. Since the Life of Pi starts with the author telling us about how he came to write the book, it is natual to be suspicious. But I am very suspicious.
When I read The Things They Carried I liked the stories, wanted them to be true. I also picked up on the emoitonal truth. The more I read the more I questioned the truth, but I forced myself to beleive that at least parts of the story happened. I felt connected to the author and trusted him. I knew his purpose.
Having read the first few delightful chapters of Life of Pie, I am finding myself more suspicious than I was when I read O'Brien. I think the reason for my increased skeptisism is that I am not yet sure of Martel's purpose. In the previous book I felt I knew the reason for each story. I have theories for what parts are invented. I have not found a reason for that in the Life of Pi. I am planning to find out if Yann Martel's previous book was even the horrible failure he claims it was.