So I finally read this. I only give it 2 stars because it is something I will never read again, and I read it on a lark out of curiosity and because of the titillating elements being discussed. It was strange. Not just because of - well, let's just say it - bear fellatio, but also because of the moodiness of it. I also kept trying to remind myself of the "times" in which this was written. The main character's biggest issue is that she is emotionally disconnected and almost blah without being melancholic. This prevents me as a reader, connecting with her. The actual act with the bear is really just a sideline subject, BUT it is the vehicle through which the character finally seems to get her own humanity back.I couldn't relate to the character other than the desire she had for solace and silence. Her sex life (what little is revealed)seems mechanical, and she herself is a blank slate until the big reveal at the end. Passages about the bear are poignant, but again - the main character is disconnected.However, I did come away with the desire to learn more about Canada and how it was settled - THAT part seemed the most intriguing, amazingly enough. Landscape itself becomes a character - THAT part of the writing seemed the most eloquent. This is a fascinating book. Phenomenally well written. The perfect story, an incredible polemic. A challenge to our conception of womanhood, of space, of the environment, of sex and danger. I read it and I was uncomfortable - how foolish this woman, Lou, must be! And the story starts out so idyllic. I want to spend a summer in the almost wild wilderness, living in a 19th Century maison, and cataloging the collection! (I suppose that is a bit unusual.)But the way the book ends isn't idyllic, at least not to my sense. And, seemingly, not to Lou's either. Fascinating. I want to read this book again, in a book club. I want to talk about it, and debate it. I want to have read it in the late 1970s when it was released and, most shocking of all, when it was given the kind of profile in Canada that only the Governor Generals' Award can offer!And commendations to Aritha Van Herk, who wrote the afterword at the end of my edition. I read it immediately after having finished the text and was quite astounded at how different our readings of the books were from each other. Thank you for your valuable contribution.
What do You think about Bear (2000)?
intriguing. i think I need a few reads to fully get it.
—Beth
Yup, this is a book where a woman has sex with a bear.
—Amber123
If beastiality is your thing, then so is this book.
—Kathryn
I get it...I just don't get the need for bear sex.
—Lilly
