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In its beginning, The Bear felt like The Road: an unnamed father and his unnamed child (a girl in this novel) are trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. But it didn't take long to realize that the two were maybe the only humans left on the planet, living off the land peacefully in a cabin.

Initially, there is little to no drama -the dad is busy teaching his daughter how to survive, and the two regularly make a trek up a mountain to visit the mother's grave - but when dad decides it is time to hike to the ocean to replenish their salt stores the plot begins to take shape. As the book's blub states - there is an accident and the girl finds herself trying to survive on her own in an unfamiliar setting, with winter on its way.

This is a tough one for me to rate. What I liked:
*the melancholy tone - sadness over the loss of a parent was ever-present and daily life was a struggle. There were a number of poignant scenes, especially at the end. Very affecting.
*realistic and detailed descriptions of the nature in the natural settings and activities such as hunting and fishing. Some hunting scenes were gruesome but when a person's survival is on the line suffering is part of the equation.


What I didn't like:
*this is a dystopian fantasy book. I'm not a fan of fantasy. No spoilers but about halfway through the title character is introduced and with it some fantastical elements that made me groan initially. But by the end of the book I had bought in.
*the effects of winter living / survival after some life-threatening crises. I'm not sure if a person could've survived what the girl went through in the extreme winter conditions she faced. Maybe a person could, but it just seemed like a stretch. I know how fast my fingers begin to freeze if I'm outside in frigid weather with no gloves.

This is a tough one to rate but based on my strong feelings after I finished the last page I'm going to give it four stars. It is a quick read, and I'd recommend to someone who likes some fantasy sprinkled in with their melancholic dystopian fiction.