A magical reading experience, Life of Pi by Yann Martel explores the redemptive power of storytelling in a meta-tale of adventure, survival, and ultimately, faith.
Pi Patel is an unusual boy. The son of a zookeeper, he has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior and a fervent love of stories. Practicing not only his native Hinduism but also Christianity and Islam, Pi tries on various faiths for size, attracting “religions the way a dog attracts fleas.” When Pi is 16, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship along with their zoo animals bound for new homes. The ship sinks and Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat with his only companions: a wounded zebra, a spotted hyena, a seasick orangutan, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger.
Yann Martel has said that Life of Pi can be summarized in three statements: “Life is a story. You can choose your story. A story with God is the better story.”
First published in 2002, Martel’s breathtaking breakout novel became an international bestseller and went on to win the Man Booker Prize, and was also named Amazon’s Best Book of 2002. It has been adapted into an Academy Award-winning film and a Tony Award-winning play.