"... a terrific book. It's fresh, original, smart, devious, and crammed with absorbing lore."

[a brief introduction to the characters and novel]
The Life of Pi is a novel unlike any other. The characters mainly consist of Pi and his family who own a zoo in the small town of Pondicherry, India. His mother is a very understanding woman who loves to read. Pi’s father is a man of business and has no interest in religion. As well, he seems to worry much more than he should. Ravi is a typical older brother who teases Pi. There are many figures in this story that have a great impact on Pi’s life. Such mentors are his religious leaders, a family friend who inspired Pi’s full name, and a teacher. Pi is forced to spend much of his time with several animals during his journey through the Pacific, and though they are animals, they each have very unique traits. In addition, two very impatient and cynical Japanese men are introduced during the end of the story. Each and every character contributes, not only to the novel, but to Pi's personality as well.

The life of a simple, religious Indian boy is changed forever as Piscine Molitor Patel and his family venture across the infinite Pacific in hopes of a better life in Canada. However, they receive the exact opposite after the cargo ship they are on sinks, leaving Pi and his lifeboat journeying through the unforgiving ocean. In spite of this, he isn’t completely alone. Shipwrecked and seasick, Pi’s companions include a zebra with an injured leg, an unsightly hyena, a motherly orang-utan, and a fully-grown Royal Bengal Tiger. This isn't the ideal group of mammals to be stranded on a lifeboat with. The expedition seems as endless as the ocean as Pi uses his cleverness and resources, which range from knowledge of animals to marine life, to survive. On his trip, he encounters numerous hardships and discomforts, a carnivorous island and a French cannibal. The ocean brings Pi many journeys; some of which are not physical journeys but insightful odysseys of the mind. As a result of a trying experience, Pi comes to many realizations about his religion and life that stay with him for the rest of his life. That is, if he survives this calamity…