Book Review - The Bear
BOOK REVIEW
THE BEAR - CLAIRE CAMERON
BOOK RATING : 5/5!
I'm almost speechless after reading this book. At the same time though, I have so much to say about it! The number one being that this is now a book I consider one of my very favorites. It's hard to judge whether or not it's my absolute favorite because I still love The Fault in Our Stars very much. Still, The Bear was very well written and I love that it was from a 5 year old's point of view. It gives the book such a big heart and allowed me to really feel every detail the little girl, Anna was feeling.
It is so hard to imagine what a five year old could possibly be thinking but I think this novel brings all of us back to the time where our brains think mostly in the imaginative rather than the realistic. The whole time, Anna thinks she's in a crazy dream or that if she follows the moon she'll find her parents. My heart bled for her because I've been in a situation at a young age like that where I just didn't understand the gravity of trauma. That changed for Anna at the Epilogue. She was an adult and looking back at what she had been feeling at the time of the bear attack. She realized at the end that her mother must have seen her and Alex get away in time...that her kids survived.
The whole journey of these two kids being lost in the wilderness was so interesting because if you really think about it...it's hard to contemplate that they survived all they went through. They stuck together through thick and thin and even though they didn't fully understand what was happening. Their instincts drove them onward and Anna especially was able to get out of that bad place and take her little brother to safety.
The whole story wasn't just about what was going on for Alex and Anna at the time of the attack and their journey to safety. It also encompassed the past and memories Anna was remembering while struggling to survive. She was remembering her parents and the things they taught her that kept her loyal to Stick and loyal to the mission of finding a way to safety. She was basically forced to be mature enough to do things like wash her brother's clothes, clean him, feed him and treat their wounds in the middle of nowhere. It was really quite amazing that a five year old was able to do all that.
I really loved this book, not just because of the constant suspense but also because it brought me back to my own time as a kid and I remember feeling the same way about everything. I knew that my stuffed animal wasn't real but I pretended like it was anyway...I loved my older sister but was still jealous of her and thought she got everything because she was older than me. (Funny thing is, she thought the same thing about me) I know that if I were in Anna's place though, I'm not sure I would've made it out. It really makes you think if everyone could have possessed enough strength to rescue themselves or not. I'd like to hope that anyone has the ability to do something like that at such a young age.
I truly felt sorry for Anna at the end. Once she was rescued, in swarmed the people who needed to "make sure she was okay" when really they sort of just made things worse. If I were them I would've waited longer than just a night to ask her questions about the incident. I probabliy would have atleast waited a month so Anna would have had time to get used to her new reality. I quite agree with her Grandpa that it was way too soon for counseling sessions.
I don't think I really need this paragraph to convince you that you need to read this book. I think the review, and pretty much the first paragraph, speaks for itself. I absolutely won't forget this book ever and I can't wait till I can buy the novel for my very own. I give it a big two thumbs up and 5 stars! I would love to read this one over and over because it's the best novel I've read this year, and could very well be my favorite ever! I'm still deciding.
----------------------
Book Info --->https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17669036-the-bear
About the Author --->https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/401400.Claire_Cameron