In this novel, by an Indian/Canadian, a man named Piscene Molitor Patel, shortened to Pi, is the son of the zoo owner in Pondecherry India. At age 16, he becomes a radical, espousing Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity, practicing elements of each, and discussing their commonalities in a rambling discourse on philosophy.
When the zoo closes, the whole family with a host of animals board a Japanese cargo ship called Timitsum bound for zoos in North America. But the boat sinks and Pi as well as his mother, an Orang-outan, a lion, an hyena, rats and a Bengali tiger named Richard Parker are stranded together in a life boat for 227 days in the mid Pacific. This is where the first person singular narrative becomes fancifull and unrealistic, sometimes following Pi’s apparent hallucinations, but it still informative with insights about the nature of nature and of wild animals. Eventually only starving Pi and the weakened, but trained Bengali tiger reach Mexico.
The highly unlikely survival tale with confusing ploys to conserve water, construct a hand-crafted primitive raft and avoid being eaten by the tiger may turn readers off, but I found enough surprising insights in it to keep me engaged.
Although this was made into Hollywood motion picture and was the winner of the Booker Prize in 2002, I put little faith in either of these accomplishments.
3.8/5
The Passionate Reader 