Plot Summary

Francis Adirubasamy, tells an anonymous person a story from Pi’s perspective that is supposedly so great, it could make one believe in God.

As a child in India, Pi is an outcast in school, but he immerses himself in religion and zoology. He considers himself a Christian, Hindu, and a Muslim.

Pi’s parents decide to leave India for economic reasons, so his father must sell the zoo he owns. They set sail for Canada on a cargo ship with many of the animals. The ship sinks, and Pi is hurled into a life boat.

The orangutan, hyena, and zebra on the life boat quickly are killed, and Pi is alone with a 450 lb Bengal tiger, named Richard Parker. Pi survives off of the survival kit, and raw fish and sea turtles he catches from the boat. Once a vegetarian, Pi turns into a hungry carnivore.

After staying at a carnivorous island full of Meer cats, and encountering another drifting survivor on a life boat, Pi strikes land in Mexico. He tells his story to Japanese workers, and they do not believe the tale, so he replaces the animals on the lifeboat with his mother, a Chinese man, and a French cook in a new story. They like the true story better.