Like Disappearing Earth. Julia Phillips’ second novel is about two sisters, but this time it takes place on an island off the coast of Washington state. Sam and Elena appear to be as close as sisters can be. They work hard, take care of their single mother who is quite ill with an unnamed lung disease, and never have enough money. Sam works at the concession stand on a ferry that travels from island to island. One day she spots a huge bear swimming towards the island where her family lives. From that day forward, the sisters’ lives slowly change.

I think Julia Phillips is a fine author, and Bear is a book that gets better with each chapter. It is a novel about devotion, family, secrets, resentment and danger. Sam and Elena are complex, realistic characters.