Yann Martel: Life of Pi

After the tragic sinking of a cargo ship, one solitary lifeboat remains bobbling on the wild, blue Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg), a female orangutan… and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger.
The scene is set for one of the most extraordinary works of fiction in recent years.