Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Title: Life of Pi

Author: Yann Martel

Publication Date: 2002

No. of Pages: 336

Synopsis (from Amazon): "Yann Martel's imaginative and unforgettable Life of Pi is a magical reading experience, an endless blue expanse of storytelling about adventure, survival, and ultimately, faith. The precocious son of a zookeeper, 16-year-old Pi Patel is raised in Pondicherry, India, where he [practices Christianity, Islam, and Hindu simultaneously]. Planning a move to Canada, his father packs up the family and their menagerie and they hitch a ride on an enormous freighter. After a harrowing shipwreck, Pi finds himself adrift in the Pacific Ocean, trapped on a 26-foot lifeboat with a wounded zebra, a spotted hyena, a seasick orangutan, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. After much gore and infighting, Pi and Richard Parker remain the boat's sole passengers, drifting for 227 days through shark-infested waters while fighting hunger, the elements, and an overactive imagination. In rich passages, Pi recounts the harrowing journey as the days blur together, elegantly cataloging the endless passage of time and his struggles to survive."

Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction

Comments and Critique: I loved this book! There are so many layers, so many times I would stop and reread a passage to make sure that I got all the things the author was trying to say, or would just stop to reflect. But at the same time, I wanted to not stop, to keep reading, just to find out what happened next. I loved Pi -- he's written in a way that you can't help but relate to him and root for him. And I even found myself liking Richard Parker and hoping nothing bad happened to him.

After I finished, I immediately starting reading others' reviews and comments because I wanted to see the book from as many different angles as possible. I didn't always agree with what others had to say, I think because this is a book that requires you to look beyond the literal story being told, and because the book deals so closely with faith and so a person's reading can't help but be colored by their own faith. But to me, a great book is one that makes people feel strongly and makes them think, and this one does both.

Would You Recommend This Book to Others: Absolutely!

Challenges: 1% Well-Read Challenge; 10 Out of 100 Out of 1001 Books Challenge; Book Awards II Challenge; Complete Booker; Man Booker Challenge; Orbis Terrarum Challenge