Another Winner, Perhaps?

Remember that one movie that came out last year? The one that prompted everyone to read the book?
The one with a tiger and a kid stuck in a boat? Maybe? If you don't recall what I'm talking about, the movie and book were each called "Life of Pi". Like many others, I decided to read the book because I had wanted to see the movie. My older brother had read it before and I had read part of it a long time ago, but I wanted to finish the entire book before watching the modified and shortened cinema version. I absolutely loved both the book and the movie, so for no apparent reason, I picked up another book at the library today by the same author(Yann Martel), called "Beatrice and Virgil".

I'm currently on page 25, and frankly, I'm lost. Like out in the middle of a desert lost. Like I'm Piscine Molitor Patel lost. Like I'm floating in the middle of the ocean-.... Ok. You get the point. So far, all I've got is that there's an author who goes under the pseudonym "Henry" and he's been called by a taxidermist to go somewhere. As you might imagine, I have a few questions. Maybe a couple more.....

1. What on earth is "Henry"s real name? 

2. Will I ever find out?

3. What's this got to do with a donkey and a monkey?

4. How long is the boring part going to continue for?