In a nutshell, “Life of Pi” is one long metaphor about man, his faith and his God, adversities, resiliency, and above all, hope. If I were to describe the book, I would say it is engaging, heartwarming, and hilarious. (Yes, you read it correctly.) The only downside is that it tended to drag a little, but I didn't mind; after all, what can you expect from a novel, written in the first-person point of view, about a teenage boy who is shipwrecked in the Pacific with only a 450-pound adult Bengal tiger left for company? That, in a sentence, is what the novel is all about.

I constantly put myself in the shoes of Piscine Molitor Patel - “Pi” for short, as in 3.1416 – while he was stranded in a lifeboat with Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger in whose claws he was sure he was to meet his end. I knew, without doubt, that I could never have done what he did, and survive for more than 200 days floating in the ocean, practically starving to death, and with a carnivorous mammal for company, to boot. But Pi was an extraordinary person: he was resilient, he never lost hope (even when the circumstances actually justified it), he did his best to co-exist in extremely cramped living quarters with a carnivore, and best of all, he never doubted God and fervently kept the faith throughout his ordeal. It's an amazing life story, indeed. And although there were several situations in the story which even an unskeptical person may find improbable (e.g. The carnivorous island in the latter part of the story), it nonetheless helped drive home the point: that there is always hope.

I've read Yann Martel's “Beatrice and Virgil” prior to reading “Pi”, and I remember liking the former very much. I also know that “Pi” is a highly-acclaimed novel, and that it comes recommended by peers. After reading it, I now fully understand that, indeed, “Pi” is worth all the accolades and good reviews that have been thrown its way. I will always remember “Life of Pi” as the book that made my heart so full, and rekindled my faith that, even in the face of adversity, God will always pull you through.

EDIT:
I was reading some of my GR friends' reviews of the book after having published mine, and came across TINTIN's review. Please read it, it is one of the most in-depth and intelligent reviews of the book that I've read. :)