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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
“Sam felt shattered. That was back when she pictured pain as something swift and final. She understood better, now, what it actually was—not a glass dropped onto a tile floor, one terrible burst, but a tree required to grow over years in a space that limited it. Branches curled in on themselves, leaves dropping. A living thing that was forced, relentlessly, to submit. That was how sorrow acted on them.”
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one felt very special. I think this book was greatly misunderstood - saw a lot of reviews unwilling to lend any empathy, or maybe more importantly narrative significance, to Sam as a character. The more you read her, the more you see her inability to connect with others and a warping of her reality to suit her needs. She becomes less and less trustworthy, and in turn, I questioned everyone she describes. The bear is indeed actually a bear, but for the majority of this novel I questioned if the bear was truly there and if it didn’t exist, what did it represent? Elena embraces the bear and Sam is frightened of it, and because of this, I actually thought the bear was change itself and even though Sam insists she wants change, nothing about her or in her life really indicates that. In fact, the life she has built on a premise of change in the near futur created the most static existence she could have - no real connections outside of a house she hopes to sell. Elena makes the best of her life as it is and lives (with her own share of delusion) in the present and with others.
Just a really smart and layered story where so much happens internally without much happening plot-wise.
Just a really smart and layered story where so much happens internally without much happening plot-wise.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wait… what?!?! This book took a real turn in the last 20 minutes.
There is a rhythm to the writing, and the author captures the two-sides of the coin that is “island living” in the San Juan’s, the monotony of a life living on the edge of poverty, of taking care of an elderly relative, and living within the suffocating reality of a small town. The descriptions of the natural environments of the San Juan islands were lovely and made me think of home.
But Sam annoyed the crap (scat?) out of me! Selfish, immature, making bad decisions. All of the worst traits of a younger sibling.
And the f’ing bear. Ugh.
There is a rhythm to the writing, and the author captures the two-sides of the coin that is “island living” in the San Juan’s, the monotony of a life living on the edge of poverty, of taking care of an elderly relative, and living within the suffocating reality of a small town. The descriptions of the natural environments of the San Juan islands were lovely and made me think of home.
But Sam annoyed the crap (scat?) out of me! Selfish, immature, making bad decisions. All of the worst traits of a younger sibling.
And the f’ing bear. Ugh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse
Bear is a unique fairy tale of a story about two sisters living on an isolated island working to care for each other and their ailing mother. Coming from a past of pain and fear they live small and guarded lives, trusting few and always yearning to be back with one another. When the older sister Elena starts to step out in courage and engage with life and love including dangerous liaisons with a grizzly bear who swam to their island, Sam the younger sister’s world starts to fall apart. She is not ready to open up and risk, and tries in vain to hold her sister back. If Elena leaves her, Sam cannot fathom what her life will be. This story made me think about how much beauty we miss everyday when we close our eyes and hearts to what is around us, to the possibilities we won’t realize because of our woundings, self protection, and fear. With its many themes and metaphors and possible interpretations, this would be a fantastic book choice for a book club to discuss.