I was very late to pick up this book and read it. I missed the hype around it and all the awards it recieved, so I was able to read it from a non biased perspective and I am now so glad that I finally did.

I became completely engrossed in this charming tale of Piscine 'Pi' and his journey across the Pacific Ocean with only one companion- a Bengal Tiger. Pi starts this book living in Pondicherry in India and is the son of a zoo keeper. Growing up he has learnt how to look after animals which equips him for his adventure in the latter part of the book. When the family decide to immagrate to Canada, there trip turns to tragedy when their ship sinks, the only survivor being Pi and a few animals from the zoo, one of which is a Bengal Tiger. The rest of the story is about Pi's survival with the Tiger (I will say no more about the plot for fear of spoiling it for you).

The way this book is written is nothing but outstanding, you become Pi, you live his torment, his fears and excitement, as he narrates the story to you. As I read this intriguing tale I found his journey both believable and unbelievable and just couldn't comprehend how he could survive (being the narrator kind of gave this away) but this spurred me on more to read and find out. It has been a while since I have read a book that has engrossed me so much that I had to read 'just one more chapter' before going to bed.

For me what really made this book a talking point was the ending, I have to say it hurt my head. To never find out which story is true is both frustrating and wonderful. To believe the animal story is to believe in god, to believe the unbelievable. This book has the power to make you question your beliefs and your view on life.

The book is both witty and incredibly profound and is a must read for everyone. I feel this is what is so appealing about this book, you do not have to be some literary expert to read it, it appeals to the masses. It is down to the reader the depth at which they read it. It is a great option for a book club as it will provide some very thought provoking discussions, an excellent holiday read or just a book to tick off your must read list.

I challenge anyone to read this and say they don't like it.