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A review by justinkhchen
Bear by Marian Engel
4.0
4 stars
Surprisingly tender and lyrical, I have to admit I picked up Bear primarily to experience it's bizarre premise firsthand—a woman's sexual awakening with an actual bear—while its absurdity is pretty tame when comparing to the monster romances currently being hyped on TikTok, I was still very curious to what type of narrative this 1970s novella would encompass.
It turned out to be a well-articulated exploration on female loneliness, set among the quiet scenery of a remote Canadian island. The unlikely relationship between human and animal was developed with believable yearning and reason, and her interaction with the bear didn't feel cheap or exploitative, but surprisingly profound. I actually wouldn't have mind if Bear was a bit longer, as there were moments where transition between scene felt quite choppy.
I went in expecting a schlocky tale existing primarily for shock value, but Bear turned out to be a legitimate literary work—very happy I checked it out!
Surprisingly tender and lyrical, I have to admit I picked up Bear primarily to experience it's bizarre premise firsthand—a woman's sexual awakening with an actual bear—while its absurdity is pretty tame when comparing to the monster romances currently being hyped on TikTok, I was still very curious to what type of narrative this 1970s novella would encompass.
It turned out to be a well-articulated exploration on female loneliness, set among the quiet scenery of a remote Canadian island. The unlikely relationship between human and animal was developed with believable yearning and reason, and her interaction with the bear didn't feel cheap or exploitative, but surprisingly profound. I actually wouldn't have mind if Bear was a bit longer, as there were moments where transition between scene felt quite choppy.
I went in expecting a schlocky tale existing primarily for shock value, but Bear turned out to be a legitimate literary work—very happy I checked it out!