A different take on a post-apocalyptic tale, Andrew Krivak's The Bear explores themes of legacy in a story about a man and his daughter surviving in the wilderness as the last two living people to represent the whole of mankind. This book is extremely slow at points and I thought of giving up, but it's worth it to push through. Perhaps, it's illustrative in this way.

I had never read anything by Andrew Krivak, a previous National Book Award finalist, before. His writing is smooth, almost sleepy (in a good way), and poetic. I would definitely recommend this book to any fans of dystopian fables.

Thank you to Andrew Krivak, Bellevue Literary Press, and NetGalley for allowing me early access to the e-book to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

This novel is beautifully written. That said, the story didn't really fit my personal style. The story is very deep and rich. There is a lot there. I think others will enjoy the book immensely. It just wasn't for me.

I loved everything about this book. A man and a girl live at the foot of a mountain that looks like a bear. They are the last humans. It is luminous and spare.
Thank you netgalley for the advance copy.

**2.5 stars, will be posted on blog on 9/28/2019**

Thank you to Bellevue Literary Press and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

I chose this book to read because it was out of my comfort zone and as I started reading I was like, wow, YES, this is definitely out of my comfort zone. I read romance and ya books, mostly fantasy these days but I like my contemporary stuff too. This story is written like a fable and I put it down so many times I didn’t realize I’ve had it on my NetGalley for more than three months now! Well it was time to finish it.

The writing is poetic and told like a fable but it is sparse and this book only clocks in at 224 pages! It took me three months to finish what I could usually finish in three hours. It was so hard for me to get into the story, I was so bored. There isn’t a plot. There is no punctuation when the characters speak. The characters have no names, on purpose though, but still, it bugged me.

The father and daughter live in a post-apocalyptic world, surviving by living off the land, hunting for their food, preparing it and so forth, same for the next day. The father teaches her lessons, year after year of her life he gifts her something that will help her survive this life. It was a tale of survival, enduring and loss. But because I couldn’t quite get into reading the book, a lot of the message went over my head.

It was definitely different and I did get the message of the book. It’s a story that makes you think, at least to question what the book was trying to say. It wasn’t for me but I think if you like books that read like a fable and don’t get hung up on things like punctuation, you would enjoy this.

I got a little bored by this story in places. A father and daughter live alone somewhere in the wilderness, the implication being that they are the last few survivors after some apocalyptic event which is neither described or explained.

The Bear narrates the story of a father and daughter, the last surviving humans on earth in a world where nature has reclaimed her primacy for all of creation.

The Bear reminded me in a few ways of The Road, which is one of my favourite books so I was hoping to get something more from it. It's about a father and his child surviving post-apocalypse; both characters are nameless and I struggled putting faces to them in my mind too; and dialogue pointlessly lacks quotation marks, which while not a dealbreaker for me, it was a little frustrating. It didn’t bring the hopelessness I was hoping for. Last people in the whole world and I didn’t feel the desperation. The lacklustre is missing, pretty much nothing happens and it's unclear where the story is heading. There is no suspense and I’m not sure where the author was going with his tale.

The first half of the book follows The Man and The Girl as he shows her how to survive, and tells her stories about her deceased mother, and tales of the bear who saved the village. More could have been done to expand the story and really pull at those heart strings. I thought it may even have felt more native American, as the title kind of lead me there, but nope!

The second half takes a bit of a detour, as The Man and The Girl embark on a quest to the ocean. This was probably the only saving grace of the book for me. The prose are stunning and I can see some real genius in the writing the story just fell flat. When tragedy strikes, the young girl is left alone far from home, and so begins the fight for survival. The Father, having such patience and love for his daughter, manages to teach her a lot but its not enough. Queue the bear .It appears into her world as she sinks into a profound loneliness. The bear, he talks to her, helps feed her, provides guidance, and tells her many stories. It takes time for her to trust the Bear and they start the journey of getting the girl home together.

This book could be put with The Dog Stars, and The Overstory.

I wonder if it would be better categorized and edited for a more fable type story. I can see what the author was trying to accomplish, I really can but there is nothing of excitement here.

I give it 2.5 stars out of 5. It actually made me want to see what else the author has done, I know, sounds backwards but I really see the talent here.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Andrew Krivak's The Bear is unlike anything else I've read from this century. While oftentimes quiet, this post-apocalyptic fable is so beautifully written and was really lovely. I really enjoyed the way Krivak showed how the girl's relationship with nature changed throughout her journey and the ways that she developed. This was a much needed change of pace in my reading life.

Lyrical and visionary, The Bear combines elements of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. A young girl and her father are the last remaining humans in a post-apocalyptic world, in which nature is abundant in the form of animals and vegetation. The girl’s father teaches her to make a bow to hunt and to make clothing and food. He tells her stories about her dead mother and about the animals. He teaches her to hunt. Together they visit the top of the mountain shaped like a bear and he shows her the grave of her mother and explains why he made it the way he did. They head for the ocean to gather salt, but the father is bitten by a strange creature and dies. The girl begins to mourn and stops caring for herself, but a bear appears and talks to her, guiding her. They begin a journey back to her home, the bear and the girl conversing along the way. When he hibernates, she tries to leave but almost dies until she is saved by a mountain lion, who also talks to her and an eagle who does the same.
This is a magical story, but the author’s descriptions of nature and the simple tasks that the father and daughter do to keep their isolated life going are captivating. There is an inspirational appreciation of nature and of its creatures at the center of the story. The reader is transported by the tale and the words used to tell it, despite no explanation for the demise of the rest of humanity or the anthropomorphic abilities of the animals, and even the plants. It is difficult not to fall under the story’s spell and appreciate the wonder of nature without humans in it.
The Bear is a very unusual story. It’s point is in its telling. The plot is simple and it charms the reader by opening his or her eyes and ears to the natural world around us. Its only lesson may be that humans are not at the center of that world.
I think The Bear will become a classic and provide much joy as it is discovered and rediscovered by readers of all ages.

A book to comfort the reader who is exhausted by the reality of today and the bleak outlook for the - possibly near? - future. Don't expect a traditional adventure, plot twists or either disaster or solutions. We're beyond that in this tale. Open your heart and absorb the wisdom and peace on offer.

This was such an interesting book. Not very long, but the way the prose felt slow and meaningful pulled me in and made me slow down to read it. The story is of a girl and her father, perhaps the only people left in the world. They travel to the ocean to collect salt and the girl experiences the death of her father and then the comforting presense of a bear as she figures out how to keep going and stay alive. The quiet of the book and it's sparsness add to the story. When I finished, I felt like I'd had an experience, not just read a book.

The Bear is a no frills prose that draws the reader in deep into the inner life of the characters. A girl and her father are the last living people on earth with only each other and the animals they hunt and live in harmony with. When the girl is forced to survive a winter without her father's help, she learns what it means to live with the rhythms of the earth.

This book reminded me of Island of the Blue Dolphins, not in plot but in emotion. I don't know if it is the fear of being left alone to figure out how to make it with only what the earth provides, or if it is the deep love the girl has for the world around her, but the emotion was raw, real and haunting. Much like the fairytales I read as a child.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, Bellevue Literary Press and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A excellently written fable about survival, love and relentless loneliness. Dystopian without having a villian around every corner, a must read.

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

A poetically written dystopian fable. I really enjoyed this one. For fans of magical realism & readers who are capable of and enjoy suspending belief while allowing the story to take the reader on a journey.

I enjoyed this book alot, though it's not an action packed, fast paced story, it is still interesting and engaging.
The writing is well done and I could see the mountain and the bear and feel the hunger.

RATING BREAKDOWN:
Storyline: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Characters:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Emotion:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫(4.87)

REVIEW:
“The last two were a girl and her father who lived along the old eastern range on the side of a mountain they called the mountain that stands alone.”

Synopsis (thanks to Goodreads):

In an Edenic future, a girl and her father live close to the land in the shadow of a lone mountain. They possess a few remnants of civilization: some books, a pane of glass, a set of flint and steel, a comb. The father teaches the girl how to fish and hunt, the secrets of the seasons and the stars. He is preparing her for an adulthood in harmony with nature, for they are the last of humankind. But when the girl finds herself alone in an unknown landscape, it is a bear that will lead her back home through a vast wilderness that offers the greatest lessons of all, if she can only learn to listen.

A cautionary tale of human fragility, of love and loss, The Bear is a stunning tribute to the beauty of nature’s dominion.

The Bear by Andrew Krivak is reminiscent of a folktale or a fairytale of a girl and her father who learn to love and live off the land.

The father tells the girl stories of the land that were passed down to him from generations before him or stories of her mother who had died after childbirth. These stories are very important. Before our modern age (and I’m talking waaaay back) stories were passed down verbally between friends and families. And now, after the fall of man and modern civilization, we fall back to the passing of stories by mouth. The bear in this tale also passes down stories to the girl by mouth, which makes me think that maybe that is the way that stories are meant to be shared. A more personal and intimate way than the mass-produced way that we share stories today.

The father and the girl live simply and live from day to day. The father passes down all of his knowledge to the girl so she can survive into adulthood. I freaking loved the lessons that the father taught the girl. One of my favorites was when a family of geese moved to the water supply where they fished. The father gave the girl some options of how to prevent the geese from stealing the fish, and ultimately the girl chose to shoot the goose and the gander to prevent further goslings from being born. The girl was upset that she had to kill the geese and wished there was a way that she could have explained to the geese that they couldn’t have stayed there instead of killing them and oh my god my heart!

The girl is such a wise and sweet soul in the way that she interacts with nature and the animals around her. I believe that she was one with nature and that is why she was able to make some friends later on in the tale 😉 (no spoilers!!)

I was engaged with the story the whole time and found myself wishing the girl would somehow find someone and be able to have babies and keep the human race going. But, as I kept reading I realized that is not what this book is about. The Bear is about nature and that like it or not we are disposable and nature will survive on with or without us.

This story touched a string in my heart because of my own connection with nature. This planet and what it has to offer is much bigger than we are and we sometimes forget that.

I recommend this book to all of those who love nature and animals. A very enjoyable read!

3.5. This was such a weird little book.
The first half covers the girl's childhood, while the last half until the final chapter lasts a season.
The prose is beautiful but I can't help but be frustrated by this book. The similarities to this book and The Road were very clear, in my opinion this made this book feel cheaper. In the first half especially, with the father and his child in a post-apocalyptic with a desolate feel... last people on earth type mood. The same style is used (no character names, no quotations to dictate dialogue). This was ultimately distracting but once you reach the half point the book changes and becomes more of a... nature type mythology book which seems to get some influences from Aboriginal culture and practices. Overall I enjoyed but felt ultimately distracted by similarities to The Road.

There are just these two, a girl and her father, the last two left living on the eastern range of this mountain. Once, another time, it had been the man and a woman who had come to this place, had built a house using stones from the earth, timber and cement made from limestone, a glass window which was so rare now, handed down to the woman from her parents, and from the generations that came before. The woman was no longer there, she lay underneath the stones and stars on the top of the mountain.

They don’t possess much in the way of worldly goods, although they do have books, a comb, flint and steel, and they are blessed in other ways – from where their house sits halfway up the mountain, they overlook the lake encircled by bushes filled with blueberries and birch trees, eagles soaring overhead, and with other gifts of nature abundant. For food, they fish, hunt, or gather. And in those moments, he teachers her about the land, navigating by the stars, skills needed for survival. He shows her the importance of gratitude, an appreciation of the gift of life, as a gift given, and a gift taken.

A fable set in a dystopian environment, a lovely ode to the beauty that abounds in the nature, and a cautionary tale for everyone and everything living here.



Pub Date: 21 Feb 2020


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Bellevue Literary Press

This was a beautifully written book, the father and daughter relationship was beautifully done, and the plot is thought provoking.

Mythology or prediction? A story about a girl, her father and survival. While the girl and her father are traveling, tragedy strikes. The girl is befriend by The Bear. To her surprise, her dream of being able to speak to the animals that started when her father told her about the bear in the stars, has come true. As she struggles to stay alive thru that first winter, the animals help her and she always makes sure to show them she is grateful..

This fable-like novel traces the story of a girl, apparently the last survivor of humankind, on her journey into nature and her eventual immersion into it. Krivak's prose is simple and compelling, moving us through the girl's adventures and challenges gently but without blinking. The book may remind some of McCarthy's _The Road_ or Martel's _Life of Pi_ and it takes its stand between them as a companion book, but one aimed finally not at the weakness of humanity, but at the wisdom of living with nature and learning to listen to the animals and trees around us. I reviewed a free copy of this novel that was given through netgalley.com, but otherwise was not compensated for my review.

I really, really liked this book. It was such an interesting take on a post-apocalyptic world - one that is so far in the future, it almost feels like the past. And maybe I enjoyed it so much because I read it right after finishing a 7 day hike along the West Coast Trail so the process of surviving in nature was fascinating to me.

The Bear is a beautifully written book about a girl and a man (her father) and they are the last two humans on the planet (as far as they or we know). It's a quiet story about the trials and tribulations of their isolated life in the wilderness. When the book opens, the girl is very young and her father is teaching her everything he can about survival as he knows he will not be around forever. The years pass, the girl grows, and so does her expertise and knowledge.

It's not even that a lot happens in the book, or anything dramatic, but the writing is so well done that I enjoyed every word of it and looked forward to picking it up. It's also not a long book, and the author didn't feel the need to drag it out for far too many pages. Some reviewers have said they found the minute details boring, but on the contrary, I really liked all the bits about survival and how much work it actually takes. There's a part in the book where you have to suspend your disbelief for a bit - and really, I had no problem with this and it didn't take away from the story for me at all. Think of it as a fiction piece mixed in with a bit of folklore and maybe you will see the magic in this book too.