Yann Martel's Life of Pi: First 29 Chapters

Author's Note: Martel opens his introduction with a simple, yet meaningful line: "This book was born as I was hungry." He details how poorly his most recent novel of the time fared, so the opening line could certainly relate to Martel's financial situation, but I think that it also relates to his desire to create art-- a sort of emotional hunger that Life of Pi satiated.
Chapter 4: Life of Pi is said to largely be a defense of zoos, and I think that Chapter 4 epitomizes that defense. Martell comes off as more than just knowledgeable-- he seems to truly be an expert on zoology, and, as the book progresses, religion. Writers often speak of getting into the character's mind, but Martel really seems to become Piscine Patel, and that alone is reason enough for Martel to be considered a contemporary master.
Chapter 7: At the end of this chapter, Life of Pi's religious themes really begin to take form as agnostics are adressed: "To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation. 
Chapter 23: I enjoyed the tale of the confrontation among Pi's spiritual mentors, and I found Pi's response-- an insistence that he needs all three religions, not just one-- inspiring.