Literary fiction
Life of Pi
by Yann Martel
Quick take
A dreamlike read (that can be nightmarish at times), with an ending that truly makes you think about the big picture.
Good to know
Emotional
Slow build
Literary
Critically acclaimed
Synopsis
The son of a zookeeper, Pi Patel has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior and a fervent love of stories. When Pi is sixteen, 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. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days while lost at sea.