I wish I hadn't heard all the hype about the movie before reading the book. I went off Piscine rather quickly when I had to wait until page number 200million to meet the tiger! (aka Richard Parker) All that reminiscing about Pondicherry and how animals are much happier in a zoo than in the wild (mm hm)irked me. While at sea I warmed to Piscine a little and could picture everything, the hyena, flying fish etc., but then he lost me - the canabalism, the island - I just wanted it all to be over really, but well done Yann Martel for coming up with such an unusual premise for a book. Worth the read