NATIONAL BESTSELLER âĒ From the celebrated author of Disappearing Earth comes a tale of family, obsession, and a mysterious creature in the woodsââa mesmerizing story about hope, sisterhood, and survival with a truly shocking twist at the endâ (People, Book of the Week).
NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORSâ CHOICE âĒ A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK!
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, Vulture, Chicago Public Library
âThrilling and propulsive, glorious and terrifying. Julia Phillips is a brilliant writer.ââAnn Patchett
âBeautiful and haunting . . . this is brilliant.ââPublishers Weekly (starred review)
They were sisters and they would last past the end of time.
Sam and Elena dream of another life. On the island off the coast of Washington where they were born and raised, they and their mother struggle to survive. Sam works on the ferry that delivers wealthy mainlanders to their vacation homes while Elena bartends at the local golf club, but even together they canât earn enough to get by, stirring their frustration about the limits that shape their existence.
Then one night on the boat, Sam spots a bear swimming the dark waters of the channel. Where is it going? What does it want? When the bear turns up by their home, Sam, terrified, is more convinced than ever that itâs time to leave the island. But Elena responds differently to the massive beast. Enchanted by its presence, she throws into doubt the desire to escape and puts their long-held dream in danger.
A story about the bonds of sisterhood and the mysteries of the animals that live among usâand within usâBear is a propulsive, mythical, richly imagined novel from one of the most acclaimed young writers in America.