Julia Phillips’ sophomore novel, Bear, takes inspiration from a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, Snow White and Rose Red. As in the fairy tale, our two main characters, Sam and Elena, live with their mother in a small house in the woods, and one day they find a giant bear on their doorstep. After that, though, the novel takes a different path to explore issues like sisterhood, loyalty, economic hardship and grief.
Sam and Elena live in the San Juan Islands off Washington state, where they both work menial jobs and care for their mother, who is terminally ill. Sam sells concessions on a Puget Sound ferry, and her sister works as a waitress at a country club. They dream of leaving the island and striking out on their own, but they’re weighed down by debt and family responsibilities.
When a monstrous grizzly bear appears outside their home, Sam is terrified. But her sister sees it as a sign: “The bear was their one good thing, a specter, a spirit, an extraordinary beast,” Elena says, “teaching them what it was to love living, helping them to make it through.”
Phillips uses the bones of the fairy tale to ground her story, then fleshes it out with modern characters and sensibilities, including references to the COVID pandemic. The sisters’ relationship is tender, and the bear is a magical but foreboding presence. You’ll need to suspend disbelief to appreciate the story, but not its overall message, which is one of self-discovery and sisterly love — and the idea that all God’s creatures can surprise you, even if you think you know them well.
