Book Review: Bear by Julia Phillips

Sisters Sam and Elena grew up with their mother on a small island in Washington state’s San Juan Channel. As children, they would roam the forests, imagining the place as their own little kingdom, but now as young adults they find themselves toiling away at dead-end jobs in the islands’ tourism industry. Elena works as a waitress at the nearby country club while Sam spends her days manning the concession booth on one of the ferries that service the region, while both take turns looking after their mother as she slowly loses her battle against the cancer she obtained by breathing in fumes at the local hair salon.

Told from Sam’s perspective, we are acutely aware of how much the drudgery of her days is wearing on her, with only the plan the sisters once made of selling the house and moving off the island helping her to withstand it. But one day, she spots a bear swimming alongside the ferry. Some try to claim it must have been something more innocuous, but Sam is certain what she saw. Even more so when, “they woke the next day to a bear at the door.”

The bear winds up leaving their stoop of its own accord, but its appearance has a profound effect on the sisters. Sam is fear stricken after having the massive animal so nearly inside her home, but Elena is in awe, taking its arrival as a sort of minor miracle. Sam is dumbfounded by her sister’s new lighthearted attitude and even more so by her attempts to communicate with the creature further. She attempts to continue about her life, going to work, hooking up with an attractive deckhand from out-of-town, and tending to her mother, but she can’t help but worry over her sister, especially once Elena begins walking through the woods on her way home with food in her pockets.

Their conflicting responses begin to drive a rift between the sisters, and Sam increasingly feels the need to question everything she’s ever known to be true, leaving her even more lost and adrift than she was before. When she reaches out to the local Fish & Wildlife department, an agent tries to help only to be rebuffed by the sisters due to their distrust of authority figures. But Sam feels she has to do something, before Elena manages to put herself in any further danger.

Phillips’ lovely prose walks the line between realistic and dreamlike, taking cues from the fables that inspired the story and are referenced throughout. The stress of their mother’s impending death combined with their divergent reactions leads to long-simmering tensions erupting forth and secrets being revealed. Their relationship and its fracturing feels wholly believable, even if it is brought about by a highly unusual (though possible) event.

Using their story to look at the delicate nature of familial bonds, the ways people look at incredible occurrences, the act of losing a parent, and America’s sharp class division, particularly in tourist areas, Phillips has crafted something truly special here. She adeptly juggles tones, at times breaking readers’ hearts while at others having them turning pages in suspense. Bear is an engaging read that feels tailor made to launch many a book club conversation. ★★★★