Martel's novel tells the story of Pi--short for Piscine--an unusual boy raised in a zoo in India. Pi's father decides to move the family to live in Canada and sell the animals to the great zoos of America. The ship taking them across the Pacific sinks and Pi finds himself the sole human survivor on a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra with a broken leg and Bengal tiger called Richard Parker. LIFE OF PI brings together many themes including religion, zoology, fear, and sheer tenacity. This is a funny, wise, and highly original look at what it means to be human.

Yann Martel was born in Spain in 1963 to diplomat parents. He grew up in Alaska, Canada, Costa Rica, France, and Mexico beore settling in Montreal. He is also the author of THE FACTS BEHIND THE HELSINKI ROCCAMATIOS, winner of the Journey Prize, and the novel SELF. (Both unavailable).