Yann Martel - Life of Pi

The main character, Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, is the son of a zookeeper in India. In his formative years, he explores various religions. When his family decides to migrate to Canada, disaster strikes, and the boy is shipwrecked. He finds himself a companion in a Bengal Tiger, Richard Parker, on a lifeboat for several months. Their relationship starts in fear and distrust, but the tiger soon becomes Pi's companion, and later reason to keep on living.

The book develops slowly from the background story about life in the house of a zookeeper, to the main story of survival at sea. The sea-faring adventures are chronologically described when the castaways are fresh to the experience, but unravels to a collection of memories of good and bad fortune as the book progress.  After washing out in Mexico, Japanese authorities questions Pi to understand what went wrong with the ship and captures his story.

"The life of Pi" presents an interesting life battle of will, that has to overcome unbelievable odds. The deterioration of the sea faring experience to description of events, is a personification of time's weakening grip on Pi's life, and allows the author to quickly move from uninteresting portions. From the start it is clear that both characters will survive, thus robbing the book from a final twist in the end, but it does not drain the book from creating tension and gripping the attention of the reader.

The book is a good read for the experience, and descriptive manner though of the castaway experience. It does succeed in drawing the reader in, asking if he would endure in these circumstances.  It also supply closure of the experience in the final interview.