Audiobook, Dystopia, Literary Fiction, Magical Realism

The Bear by Andrew Krivak

The Bear

It’s rare for me to not be able to summarize the description of a story in my own words but I’ve given it two days and just cannot do more justice to that provided with the book so here it is.

“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.”

I love fables, am mysteriously drawn to dystopian worlds and have a high appreciation of those that know how to survive using the earth’s natural resources. Even though this story seemed to have all of these elements based on its description, I almost gave it a pass and would have missed out on one of the most captivating short stories. The writing is elegant in its simplicity and the underlying messages resound throughout. I longed for more but found the ending to be perfection. The narrator’s performance was so subtle, never giving in to any need for dramatization because the writing didn’t need it. It’s a great story no matter if you read or listen but I highly recommend the audio version. This was just lovely.

Book Info

  • Release Date: February 11, 2020
  • Narrator: Eric Jason Martin
  • Audio Length: 4 hours
  • Publisher: HighBridge Audio, a division of Recorded Books

 

 

 

 

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(Thanks to the publisher and Libro.fm for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)

19 thoughts on “The Bear by Andrew Krivak”

  1. This sounds very compelling with so many subtly hidden depths. Definitely one for the TBR Jonetta ☺️☺️☺️❤️💜

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