'Thrilling and propulsive, glorious and terrifying. Julia Phillips is a brilliant writer' Ann Patchett

'Wondrous ... a fairy tale for the strange times in which we live' Rumaan Alam

They were sisters and they would last past the end of time.

Sam and Elena dream of another life. On the island off the coast of Washington where they were born and raised, they and their mother struggle to survive. Sam works on the ferry that delivers wealthy mainlanders to their vacation homes while Elena does bar work at the local golf club, but even together they can't earn enough to get by, stirring their frustration about the limits that shape their existence.

Then one night on the boat, Sam spots a bear swimming the dark waters of the channel. Where is it going? What does it want? When the bear turns up by their home, Sam, terrified, is more convinced than ever that it's time to leave the island. But Elena responds differently to the massive beast. Enchanted by its presence, she throws into doubt the desire to escape and puts their long-held dream in danger.

A story about the bonds of sisterhood and the mysteries of the animals that live among us - and within us - Bear is a propulsive, mythical, richly imagined novel from one of the most acclaimed young writers at work today.

"Phillips smartly keeps us guessing whether the fantastical creature ultimately sees Elena as friend or feast . . . Bear ends with a bang, and with the intriguing notion that sisterhood (or sisters?) may be as unknowable and unpredictable as anything else in nature" - New York Times Book Review

"A bold and brilliant modern fable of sisterhood, class, and our relationship to the natural world" - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Beautiful and haunting . . . This is brilliant" - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A fantabulous delight" - Los Angeles Times