Life of Pi

Written by Yann Martel

A boy and a tiger survive 227 days at sea. Which story is true?

3.9 Goodreads · 1,784,593 ratings

326 pages· 101,434 words· Est. 9.5 hour read· 830L

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Bookroo's summary

Pi Patel, a zookeeper's son, survives a shipwreck with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Stranded on a lifeboat for 227 days, Pi's tale of survival is questioned by authorities. Is his fantastical story true, or is there a darker reality? As Pi navigates the vast Pacific, his knowledge and cunning are tested, raising profound questions about truth and the power of storytelling. When they reach Mexico, the tiger vanishes, leaving Pi to confront the skeptics. What really happened on that lifeboat, and which version of the story will you believe?

From the publisher

The son of a zookeeper, Pi Patel has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior and a fervent love of stories. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes.

The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days while lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his story and press him to tell them “the truth.” After hours of coercion, Pi tells a second story, a story much less fantastical, much more conventional–but is it more true?

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