Bear

Starred review from March 18, 2024
In the beautiful and haunting latest from Phillips (Disappearing Earth), two 20-something sisters contend with economic precarity and their mother’s terminal illness on present-day San Juan Island, Wash. Sam, the protagonist, and her older sister, Elena, have spent their entire adult lives caring for their mother, a former manicurist whose lung disease was brought about by exposure to chemicals while on the job. Faced with spiraling medical bills, the sisters have no choice but to take unrewarding jobs (Sam as a vendor on the local ferries, Elena as a waitress at a golf club), the drudgery of which is leavened only by the expectation of a “better future” after their mother dies and they sell the house. That is, until they encounter an unexpected visitor to the island: a grizzly bear, which becomes a powerful symbol of hope for Elena, who believes the animal is magical; and terror for Sam, who considers it nothing but a dangerous menace. The bear provides a vehicle for the author’s masterful characterization, as the sisters clash over their perception of the grizzly’s meaning in their lives, and for the increasingly suspenseful plot. Phillips prefaces the story with an excerpt from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “Snow-White and Rose-Red,” about two sisters who play with a bear, which sets a simultaneously playful and ominous tone and contrasts powerfully with the novel’s supremely executed realism. This is brilliant. Agent: Suzanne Gluck, WME.

December 6, 2024

Phillips, the bestselling author of Disappearing Earth, offers an atmospheric tale about two sisters, Sam and Elena, as they care for their mother, whose health is failing, on an island off the coast of Washington State. Sam notices a bear swimming in the San Juan Channel and becomes terrified as it begins to linger around their home. She senses an impending doom closing in to trap her in a place from which she longs to escape. Elena, however, is unafraid; instead, she's drawn to the majestic bear. The duality of their responses exposes secrets in matters of life and death. Sophie Amoss, an award-winning narrator, reads this literary novel as a thriller. Her voice is breathy, encompassing dread of the unknown and the obsession of humans with nature. Her tone is shaken, fearful, and seems unfounded before the story sweeps in a twist that matches the anxious narration. Although this novel spins in meandering circles, it builds momentum to orbit around the listener in a way unique to the audiobook experience, as Amoss's performance amplifies subtleties that could be easily brushed over by a reader of the print work. VERDICT For those who enjoy reflecting on peculiar existential sagas, this is not to be missed.--Sarah-Ruth Tasko

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