Bear
Engel
1976
Submitter: This is a controversial tale of two star crossed lovers. Taking place in the cold landscapes of Canada, this bizarre love story goes where most books don’t. You will explore themes of love like never before. That is, if you can muster up the courage to open the cover. Even though many people consider themselves to be avid animal lovers, no one loves animals as much as the main character Lou. Some consider the book to be about a spiritual journey and how all living creatures are connected in this way. Others just see the cover and think one thing “Is that lady really getting it on with a bear?” But hey, maybe the controversy is enough to spark reader interest, which in turn, sells more books. Wise move Marian Engel. Nevertheless, I think that’s too much for a library book. (This book was found in my college library.)
Holly: I have a confession to make. Submitter included a sample page from within the book that isn’t included below. But I know you’re all dying to read it, so here’s a link to it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. To each their own and all that, but I think we can all agree the whole concept is bizarre.
By the way, this book won the Canadian “Governor General’s Literary Award” the year it was published (1976). Also by the way, the main character is a librarian. Of course. It was written as part of a fund raiser for the Canadian Writer’s Union – a project in which “serious writers” contributed pornographic fiction. It is, naturally, dedicated to Engel’s therapist. See the Wikipedia article for more great trivia tidbits about this book!
More Covers to Behold:
Venusia
WTF Cover Art: Timepivot
Venus on the Half-Shell
The article as written by Sunny Dawn, a contributor to http://www.freelancehouse.co.uk/.
