Life of Pi Novel by Yann Martel Complete Unabridged 9 CD Set

Winner of the 2002 Booker Prize The beginning of Life of Pi is centred around an Indian Tamil boy named Piscine (Pi) Patel finding his way through his childhood. Pi grows up in his family’s zoo in the city of Pondicherry, which immediately plunges him into zoology and understanding the nature of animals. Marked with a name that lends itself well to an unfortunate mispronunciation, Pi must deal with issues of bullying and identity. Through these trials, Pi dedicates himself to three religions Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam and practices them all loyally. When Pi is 16, the Patel family decides to close the zoo and start a new life in Canada. The ship that the Patel family and their zoo animals board to embark across the Pacific sinks only a few days into its journey. This leaves Pi stranded in a lifeboat with a tiger named Richard Parker. From here, the book recounts Pi’s struggle to survive, as well as his struggles with the nature of animals, morality, and faith. At its heart, Life of Pi is about facing a big challenge and raising the simple question of “will the hero overcome this obstacle?” What separates Life of Pi from these others is that we learn early on that the hero survives, making readers ask not if the hero makes it, but how he will make it. This allows the author to focus on other themes that still tie back to the hero’s ultimate goal to survive, making it an insightful and exciting read.