I left the reading of Life of Pi for some years after it had come out. Like a lot of books, I was leery of checking it out while the hot glow of critical acclaim was in effect; I find that naught but relentless enthusiasm for something often makes me feel bad if I don't think it's as fabulous as everyone else, immediately.

Thankfully, it seems that there was no real chance of me disliking this book. Ostensibly a book about a shipwreck, a castaway boy named after a swimming pool, it's also a story about faith and perception. The mechanics of survival are minutely detailed within, but the malleability of worldview is the more important lesson here - and that's without touching upon the examination of syncretism in personal development.

Put simply, Life of Pi is a pleasure to read. It doesn't rigidly push an agenda as such, but it's definitely successful in terms of challenging the reader to consider their moral standpoint.