Yann Martels Life of Pi is a transformative novel an astonishing work of imagination that will delight and stun readers in equal measure. It is a triumph of storytelling and a tale that will as one character puts it make you believe in God. After the tragic sinking of a cargo ship a solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wide wild Pacific. The crew of the surviving vessel consists of a hyena one zebra (with broken leg) an orang-utan a 450-pound Royal Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker and Pi - a 16-year-old Indian boy. As the crew begin to assert their natural places in the food chain Pis fear mounts and he must use all his wit and daring to develop an understanding with Richard the tiger. Life of Pi takes the reader on an extraordinary journey - geographical spiritual and emotional. A rare thing here is a novel that will change your view of the world.