Sam and her older sister, Elena, are barely scraping by on
San Juan Island with their dying mother.
Sam is serving coffee, soft drinks, and packaged snacks on a ferry that
operates between the islands and the Pacific Northwest mainland. Elena works at the local country club and has
been the primary breadwinner for years, especially during Covid, when Sam was
unemployed. Sam lives for the day when
they will be able to sell their rundown home, which sits on prime real estate,
and move to the mainland. She basically
eschews all relationships except family, while Elena secretly stews with
frustration over the role she has had to assume. Then a grizzly appears at their door and
terrifies both of them. However, Elena
sees the bear as a welcome distraction and begins to relish additional
encounters, while Sam begs her to recognize the danger. This is not just about an unhealthy infatuation
with a predatory animal, since the bear’s presence drives a wedge between the
sisters. The author does a great job of
creating mounting suspense, as Elena becomes increasingly irrational about her enchantment
with the bear, while Sam refuses to accept that her sister has gone off the
deep end. Of course, the big overriding
question is whether the bear will ultimately be true to his nature or continue
to behave as if he were Elena’s pet.
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