Opinions were all over the map, from "I loved it", to "Why did this win a Booker?". Some liked the religious philosophy in the first part, while others hated it. The suggestion was put forth that this book was really written for young adults, with a teenage protagonist and a final section that spelled out the allegories. Carolyn, who put much more thought into this book than I did, would wake up in the middle of the night to try to puzzle it out. Was Richard Parker God? Was he Nature, imperfectly subjugated by Man? Because having him be Pi's bestial alter-ego, who comes to the fore when disaster strikes and then disappears into the jungle when Pi reaches safety just isn't good enough.