Title:Â My Boyfriend is a Bear
Author:Â Pamela Ribon (Illustrated by Cat Farris)
Publisher: Oni Press
Source: Publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Nora has bad luck with men. When she meets an (actual) bear on a hike in the Los Angeles hills, he turns out to be the best romantic partner she’s ever had! He’s considerate, he’s sweet, he takes care of her. But he’s a bear, and winning over her friends and family is difficult. Not to mention he has to hibernate all winter. Can true love conquer all?
My book club has been reading Bear by Marian Engel. We have one copy and we write comments in it before passing it along to the next person. The final person finished it and last Friday we got together to do a final review complete with dramatic readings of the comments. As you can imagine, when I saw this title, I HAD to get a copy of it. I mean, first, it would be an inside joke with my book club. Second, the story is odd but the cover is… adorable?
My boyfriend is a Bear isn’t a joke. It had some funny, and sweet moments. When it’s hibernation time, and Nora is left alone to face the relationship criticism from her family and friends, I felt so bad for her. I don’t know of many women who will say anything bad about a person’s partner while the relationship exists. She had her own doubts the relationship would survive the time apart and to have that piled on top of her was just crappy of her friends and family to do.