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Life of Pi is the story of a 16 year-old Indian boy called Pi, who ends up drifting on a lifeboat after being shipwrecked, along with a hyena, zebra, orang-utan and a Bengal tiger. It sounds rather fantastical, which is perhaps one of the reasons I didn't get around to reading it until now. But trust me, it all makes perfect sense once you start.The author is an excellent storyteller, and one can almost hear the main character's Indian accent emerging from the pages. Pi is a delightful character who somehow manages to become a practising Hindu, Muslim and Christian all at the same time - which at one point leads to a comical showdown between the pandit, priest and imam.
In spite of the religious overtones, this is not a religious story per se; rather it's a tale of human endurance in which Pi must draw on all his spiritual resources in order to survive and adapt to his extraordinary situation.
So will it make you believe in God? I doubt it, because most of you reading this already do! But certainly an excellent novel, which I highly recommend.