I waited a very long time to read this book. I had heard many good things about it, but it just wasn't the type of book I was used to reading. Then, a recent trip to the movie theater got me thinking about the book again when I saw a poster advertising the release of the movie version of the book. The movie is to be released in November.
Since I always want to read the book before I see the movie, I picked it up on a Sunday afternoon. Several hours later, I still couldn't put it down. The book tells the story of Pi Molitor. In part one, readers learn about Pi's life as a child. We learn about his father (a zoo owner), his mother, and his popular but ornery older brother. Pi grows up around animals at his family's zoo in India. When life in India becomes difficult, the family decides to move to Canada. They sell their animals to other zoos, and board a ship headed to their new home. The animals accompany them on the trip.
When the ship sinks, Pi loses his entire family, and he finds himself on a life boat with a tiger named Richard Parker, an orangutan, a zebra, and a hyena. It isn't long before the wild animals attack one another, leaving Pi alone with the tiger. Pi spends 227 days at sea with the animal. During this time, he writes in his journal and tries to come to grips with the deaths of his family members and the things he is willing to do to survive.
At the end of the book, Pi is rescued and is asked to explain what happend aboard the ship and on the life boat during those 227 days at sea. What he ends up revealing to his rescuers is both shocking and horrific!
This book makes you think about life, survival, and what human beings are capable of when everything is on the line. I am so glad I finally picked up this book! It was a unique and memorable read!
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