88. Life of Pi - Yann Martel

This is a very unique story about a 16 year old boy named Piscine ("Pi") Patel who comes from a family of zookeepers. He loves learning about different religions and practices Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity - all at the same time! When Pi's father decides to pack up the family and their business (the zoo) and move to Canada, they board a huge Japanese cargo ship ... with many of their animals. But after the ship sinks, Pi finds himself in a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
The majority of the story is about the relationship between Pi and Richard Parker, who end up being the last two to survive. They drift through the Pacific Ocean for almost a year, and Pi has to use his faith and training as a zookeeper to fight sharks, hunger, and the elements while keeping himself and Richard Parker alive.

I loved this passage from the beginning of the book when clergy of all the religions that Pi is practicing find out that he is indeed practicing all three religions:

“Piscine, can this be true?” asked the imam earnestly. “Hindus and Christians are idolaters. They have many gods.”
“And Muslims have many wives,” responded the pandit.
The priest looked askance at both of them. “Piscine,” he nearly whispered, “there is salvation only in Jesus.”
“Balderdash! Christians know nothing about religion,” said the pandit.
“They strayed long ago from God’s path,” said the imam.
“Where’s God in your religion?” snapped the priest. “You don’t have a single miracle to show for it. What kind of religion is that, without miracles?”
“It isn’t a circus with dead people jumping out of tombs all the time, that’s what! We Muslims stick to the essential miracle of existence. Birds flying, rain falling, crops growing—these are miracles enough for us.”
“Feathers and rain are all very nice, but we like to know that God is truly with us.”

I also liked this part, after Pi has started fishing (keeping in mind that before being stranded on the lifeboat, he had always been a vegetarian):

You may be astonished that in such a short period of time I could go from weeping over the muffled killing of a flying fish to gleefully bludgeoning to death a dorado. I could explain it by arguing that profiting from a pitiful flying fish’s navigational mistake made me shy and sorrowful, while the excitement of actively capturing a great dorado made me sanguinary and self-assured. But in point of fact the explanation lies else where. It is simple and brutal: a person can get used to anything, even to killing.

It took me around fifty pages or so to get into this book - but once I did, I couldn't put it down. I was so into it, I even forgot how completely implausible the whole story was! ... until the ending, when things sort of came together (I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it).
One thing I don't understand, however, is how the first part of the book about Pi's love for learning about different religions ties in with the second part of the book where he is stranded on the life boat with Richard Parker. Is it just the idea of faith - i.e. what gets him through the ordeal?
This was a fabulous book - thanks to Jade for the recommendation :)