Deep in the Pacific Ocean, a tiger sleeps. Only days ago, Pi Patel was enjoying laughs with his family, but now he is floating alone in the seemingly endless ocean, on a boat that has little food and water. Also he is accompanied by a 450 pound Bengal tiger that is becoming hungry.

Yann Martel is a canadian writer, who first got the idea for his book after reading a Brazilian novel called Max and the Cats, which contained an abundance of animals that inspired Yann to write his book twelve years later. The book takes place from the perspective of a young boy named Pi patel. Pi’s father owns a zoo in India which unfortunately goes out of business. The family decides to sell their animals and move to Canada. The cargo ship that Pi and his family was on sinks and only Pi and a few other animals survive, including his tiger Richard Parker. Life of pi is, at its core, a study of religion and what separates humans from animals. It's thorough description and characters secure this book as a literary classic that will continue to be read for centuries onward. If you enjoyed this book then you may also like the book Max and the Cats by Moacyr Scliar.