The Summer of the Bear
A Richard and Judy Book Club Selection
-
-
4.8 • 5 Ratings
-
-
- £3.99
-
- £3.99
Publisher Description
A Richard and Judy Book Club selection, The Summer of the Bear is a gripping tale of grief, secrets, and a family's love.
In the summer of 1979, a tamed grizzly bear is tempted by the lure of freedom and the wild open sea . . .
Letty Fleming, relocated from Cold-War Germany to the solitude of the Scottish Outer Hebrides, is haunted by a personal tragedy - the unexpected death of her husband, diplomat Nicky Fleming.
With his death shrouded in mystery and allegations of national betrayal, Letty must grapple with the truth while protecting her three children from its harsh realities.
As Letty's probes into Nicky's demise, she neglects their children's inner struggles. As the family’s secrets threaten to tear them apart, it is only the strange but brilliant Jamie who manages to hold on to the one thing he knows for sure: his father has promised to return, and Nicky Fleming was a man who never broke a promise . . .
Bella Pollen, celebrated author of Hunting Unicorns, delves into the heart of familial bonds and the depth of personal loss in her highly acclaimed novel, The Summer of the Bear.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The Fleming family, having lost father and husband Nicky, a cold war-era British diplomat, in a mysterious accident early in this satisfying novel (after Midnight Cactus), leaves the embassy at Bonn for refuge in Scotland's Outer Hebrides. There they begin parallel lives, dealing with their grief separately and stumblingly as a number of threats to the family slowly mount. Of the children, Jamie, the youngest, wildly imaginative and cosseted by grownups, is forced to make his own sense of his father's disappearance; acerbic Alba is overcome with anger; and quiet, dutiful Georgie is simply set adrift. Then there's Letty, their mother, who retreats almost entirely as her grief becomes increasingly painful and she is forced to confront new and disturbing possibilities about her husband, namely, that he may have been involved in treasonous activities. The drama intensifies as an escaped bear haunts the narrative periphery and the Flemings' home becomes threatened by government development projects. Everything comes together, perhaps too neatly, but the real draw is Pollen's show-stealing, fantastic portrayal of the underparented children.
Customer Reviews
Media Reviews
'A fairytale of the adult world' --The Scotsman Review
'Part spy thriller and part ghost story, this book will keep you enthralled to the last page' --The Sunday Post
'A heartfelt and magical tale about a family coping with loss and fear' --SHE magazine
'A haunting, unsentimental look at estranged families and hidden secrets...so magically melancholy...Tender and wistful, Pollen doesn't shy away from harsh truths, but at the heart of her story there's an unquenchable belief in love and redemption.' --Marie Claire
'Bewitching...a heartfelt, poignant novel' --Glamour
'Read it for it's emotional resonance.' --Tatler
'Part fairy-tale, part suspense-thriller this magical book grips hold of you, almost creating the sensation of an out-of-body experience - one that'll keep you holding your breath until the very last minute' --Easy Living magazine
'García Márquez meets le Carré meets - well, A.A. Milne at times, with hints of William Golding at others . . . moving, beautifully written . . . a sensitive and literate story told on several levels, all of them believable' Kirkus Starred Review
'A show stealing, fantastic portrayal of under parented children' Publishers Weekly
'A sweet, affecting, well-wrought tale of a family torn apart and then reunited . . . The Summer of the Bear will charm' Library journal
'A story with the spark of the unexpected . . . imaginative . . . readers will be captivated by Pollen's characters and the warmth with which her magical tale unfolds' Bookpage
'As Pollen sensitively and intricately takes each family member through painful stages of grief and longing, the mystery unravels to reveal a man forced to choose between protecting his family or his country' --Booklist USA