(This review first appeared in May 2003)
Rating: 
The zebra’s broken leg was missing. The hyena had bitten it off and dragged it to the stern, behind the zebra. A flap of skin hung limply over the raw stump. Blood was still dripping. The victim bore its suffering patiently, without showy remonstrations. A slow and constant grinding of its teeth was the only visible sign of distress.
Yes, a gruesome excerpt, but I want to be sure you understand just what you will be getting involved in here. The book begins with a boy, a tiger, a hyena, an orangutan and a wounded zebra in a small boat on the Pacific Ocean. As you can imagine, things do not go well between the five of them. There is blood and pain and terrible suffering. I could not put Life of Pi down. I think of the tiger constantly and miss him terribly. Truly one of the best and most original books of the year.
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