If You Like The Life of Pi by Yann Martel ...

If you liked The Life of Pi, here are a few titles that you may find equally thought-provoking:

Creation, by Gore Vidal
Cyrus Spitama provides insights into the ancient world of the 5th
century B.C. in which many of our modern philosophical, political, and
scientific ideas were created. Cyrus is brought up in the Persian court
and undertakes a diplomatic mission that takes him to India and China.
His search for meaning brings him in contact with Buddha, Confucius, and
Socrates. (What Do I Read Next?)

Death of Vishnu, by Manil Suri
Visualizing a village, a hotel or an apartment building as a microcosm
of society is not a new concept to writers, but few have invested their
fiction with such luminous language, insight into character and grasp of
cultural construct as Suri does in his debut. The inhabitants of a small
apartment building in Bombay are motivated by concerns ranging from
social status to spiritual transcendence while their alcoholic houseboy,
Vishnu, lies dying on the staircase landing. During a span of 24 hours,
Vishnu's body becomes the fulcrum for a series of crises, some tragic,
some farcical, that reflect both the folly and nobility of human
conduct....By turns charming and funny, searing and poignant, dramatic
and farcical, this fluid novel is an irresistible blend of realism,
mysticism and religious metaphor, a parable of the universal conditions
of human life. (Nicole Aragi, Publishers Weekly)

The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand
A bestseller since 1943, The Fountainhead tackles a number of issues
including individualism, objectivism and capitalism. The story deals
with the equally selfish and selfless actions of Howard Roark, a
struggling architect; Peter Keating, his less-talented but more
successful rival; and newspaper columnist, Ellsworth Toohey.
Essentially, this work is a platform for the author's views and personal
philosophy, and its influence is still felt to this day. (What Do I Read
Next?)

Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift
Lemuel Gulliver, trying to escape his suffering medical practice, takes
a job as a ship's surgeon. He awakens to find himself shipwrecked on the
shore of previously undiscovered Lilliput, tied to the ground and
surrounded by six inch tall people. In a short amount of time, he
befriends the Lilliputians and becomes involved in their culture,
including the war between them and neighboring Blefuscu. The discovery
of Lilliput gives Gulliver the desire to travel and he sets out to find
new lands. He travels to other exotic places such as Brobdingnag, where
all the inhabitants tower above him; Glubbdubdrib, where it's possible
to witness historical events; and the land of the Houyhnhnms, where
horses are the dominant species and humans are on the lower ranks of the
evolutionary scale. Each new country give Gulliver insight on the
different sides of his own society and culture. (What Do I Read Next?)

Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
The novel relates the story of a group of British school boys abandoned
on a desert island after a plane crash. The only two adults traveling
with them are killed, so the boys establish a sort of government and
appoint a leader. But the novel soon becomes a parable about the
inherent evil in human nature, reflected in the natural brutality of
these boys once they are away from civilization. (What Do I Read Next?)

Quarantine, by Jim Crace
...[A] sometimes realistic, sometimes hallucinatory account of the 40
days Jesus spent in the wilderness...a remarkably successful attempt to
put a story known by everyone into a convincing physical and historical
context. The beauty and precision of Crace's writing, as well as his
store of knowledge about such arcane matters as weaving two millennia
ago and the fauna of the Judean desert, give what could have been a fey
experiment an air of overwhelming authority. For a start, Jesus,
portrayed as a rather callow youth befuddled by prayer, is not at the
center of the canvas. That spot belongs to Musa, a stout, lecherous,
bullying merchant with a beguiling tongue, whose skinny and
long-suffering wife, Miri, has left him for dead in his tent as the
story begins. Then, Jesus is not the only pilgrim essaying a fast in the
desert. Setting about their vigils in their very different ways are
Shim, a handsome, self-absorbed ascetic; Marta, a prosperous but barren
woman who yearns to conceive; Aphas, an elderly Jew with cancer; and a
dumb, wiry peasant. After Jesus seems to bring Musa back to life (he is
obsessed with the idea of being a healer), the merchant comes to
dominate the group, using his salesman's skills to convince them that he
is their landlord and they owe him tribute. Only the thought of Jesus,
who hides from the rest in his inaccessible cave, gives him pause. As
for Jesus himself, can Musa be the devil sent to tempt him? (David
Godwin, Publishers Weekly)

The Sea, the Sea, by Iris Murdoch
The sea: turbulent and leaden, transparent and opaque, magician and
mother... When Charles Arrowby, over sixty, a demi-god of the theatre --
director, playwright and actor -- retires from his glittering London
world in order to 'abjure magic and become a hermit', it is to the sea
that he turns. He hopes at least to escape from 'the woman' -- but
unexpectedly meets one whom he loved long ago. His Buddhist cousin,
James, also arrives, menaced by a monster from the deep. Charles finds
his 'solitude' peopled by the drama of his own fantasies and obsessions.
(Amazon.com) A book big on self-understanding, and individual moral
development.

Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse
This book chronicles the spiritual evolution of a man living in India at
the time of the Buddha--a tale that has inspired generations of readers.
We are invited along Siddhartha's journey experiencing his highs, lows,
loves, and disappointments along the way. Hesse begins by showing us the
life of a privileged Brahmin's son. Handsome, well-loved, and growing
increasingly dissatisfied with the life expected of him, Siddhartha sets
out on his journey, not realizing that he is fulfilling the prophesies
proclaimed at his birth. Siddhartha blends in with the world, showing
the reader the beauty and intricacies of the mind, nature, and his
experiences on the path to enlightenment. (catalog summary)

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, by
Robert M. Pirsig
A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his
son...becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental
questions of how to live. The narrator's relationship with his son leads
to a powerful self-reckoning; the craft of motorcycle maintenance leads
to an austerely beautiful process for reconciling science, religion, and
humanism. Resonant with the confusions of existence, "Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance" is a touching and transcendent book of life.
(catalog summary)

Quite a bit of science fiction and fantasy is philosophical or has
spirituality as a theme. Here are a couple of examples:

Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Originally published in 1932, Huxley's terrifying vision of a controlled
and emotionless future "Utopian" society is truly startling in its
prediction of modern scientific and cultural phenomena, including
test-tube babies and rampant drug abuse. (catalog summary)

Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein
...[T]he story of Valentine Michael Smith, born during, and the only
survivor of, the first manned mission to Mars. Michael is raised by
Martians, and he arrives on Earth as a true innocent: he has never seen
a woman and has no knowledge of Earth's cultures or religions. But he
brings turmoil with him, as he is the legal heir to an enormous
financial empire, not to mention de facto owner of the planet Mars. With
the irascible popular author Jubal Harshaw to protect him, Michael
explores human morality and the meanings of love. He founds his own
church, preaching free love and disseminating the psychic talents taught
him by the Martians. Ultimately, he confronts the fate reserved for all
messiahs. (Amazon.com)

Michele R. Brown
Reference Librarian