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The Summer of the Bear / Bella Pollen

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A young British diplomat and his family are posted in Cold War-era Bonn when he apparently jumps to his death from the roof of the embassy. The circumstances of the death of a doting father and husband are unexplained and mysterious and there are rumors around the embassy of his being a spy. His widow and children retreat to a remote Scottish island, the family homestead, where they deal with their loss and try to come to terms with all that it means. Coincidentally, a tamed grizzly bear has escaped from its master and all the island folk are abuzz about his fate and whereabouts. Jamie, the son and youngest child, forges a special link with this bear, in a way that will certainly surprise the reader.


This is a gem of a novel, one of those unexpected pleasures that surprises you with its originality, its cleverness, its tight writing. As complex as the plot is, it really works nicely—the characters are great, the story wonderful, even the magical realist subplot is a success (hint, it has something to do with the bear). This novel works on so many different levels. I think I heard Nancy Pearl review this on NPR. It was a great recommendation.

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