Life of Pi tranquilizer darts while her cub escapes hiding in a bush. Parker names the cub Thirsty after his enthusiasm when drinking from a nearby river. The paperwork that accompanies the shipment of the two tigers to Pi's family's zoo in Pondicherry states that the cub's name is "Richard Parker" and the hunter's given name is "Thirsty" and his surname is "None Given", due to a mix-up with the names. Pi's father finds the story so amusing that they continue to call the tiger "Richard Parker". Brian Bethune of "Maclean's" describes "Life of Pi" as a "head-scratching combination of dense religious allegory,
Life of Pi zoological lore and enthralling adventure tale, written with warmth and grace". "Master Plots" suggested that the "central themes of "Life of Pi" concern religion and human faith in God". Reutter said, "So believable is Pi's story telling that readers will be amazed." Gregory Stephens added that it "achieves something more quietly spectacular." Smith stated that there was "no bamboozlement here." Gary Krist of "The New York Times" praised the book, but added that at times Martel "pushes the didactic agenda of his story too hard." In 2010, U.S. President Barack Obama wrote a letter directly to Martel, describing "Life of