Vita di Pi

A zookeeper's son from Pondicherry, Piscine Molitor Patel, known as Pi, is the only human survivor when a Japanese freighter carrying his family and their animals goes down in the Pacific. His lifeboat holds a Bengal tiger called Richard Parker, and Pi has to establish dominance over the animal using what he knows from growing up around zoo cages. Interspersed are his boyhood religious experiments and a framing narrator who promises a story that will make you believe in God.

The novel suits readers who want adventure with a philosophical edge. You get a vivid account of improvised survival, from catching fish to collecting rainwater, and a final twist that reframes the whole ordeal.

Deep, contemplative, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.

Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?