The Summer of the Bear

Title: The Summer of the Bear
ISBN: 9780330519069
Author: Bella Pollen
Rating: ⭐ 3.71 (194 ratings, reviews)

It is the summer of 1980. A tamed brown bear finds himself tempted by the lure of freedom and the wild open sea. . . Meanwhile a grieving, broken family arrive on a windswept island in the Outer Hebrides, looking for the time and space to understand the strange, bewildering events that led to the loss of their husband and father. Letty clings to the island, the place of her birth –hoping it, and the tight community around her, will slowly begin to fill the void she feels within. For how can she ever begin to explain to her children that their diplomat father may have betrayed his country? Georgie, the eldest, has a secret. She knows more about her father's affairs than she can bear to reveal . . . Alba, the middle child, despises many things: over-polished furniture, easy listening music and shiny food. But most of all she hates the fact that everyone seems to be keeping things from her. Jamie, the youngest, accepts his mind doesn’t work in quite the same way as everyone else’s, but what he can’t understand is –if his father is lost, why isn’t anyone else trying to find him? As the community’s search for the escaped bear intensifies, Jamie finds himself inexplicably drawn towards the beast. But when a storm sweeps across the island, the family once again find themselves facing the worst; and as events converge and mysteries are unearthed, the bear finally discovers his true purpose. . .