How to Survive a Bear Attack: A Memoir by Claire Cameron

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Claire Cameron is a published Canadian author of a couple of best-selling novels. She also has cancer – a rare type of melanoma that she has inherited genetically from her father, who died in his mid-40s when she was 9 years old. She sees what fate has in store for her. She is also a wife and a mother with a loving husband and young sons. And she loves Algonquin park.

This is a memoir, but it is written so creatively that at times it seems like a thriller or crime novel, and at other times, it is a well-researched work about grizzly and black bears. It is a how-to manual on enjoying nature, coexisting with the park’s wild inhabitants, and ultimately, what to do to survive a bear attack.

The main focus of the story is the 1991 incident when a couple was killed in a predatory black bear attack in Algonquin Park. These types of attacks are so rare, and the author deftly weaves parallels to her own very rare cancer. Having had so many great experiences in Algonquin at work as a camp counsellor and as a tree planter, and at play as an avid camper, she starts her investigation and research about the facts of the 1991 attack. She returns to the scene of the attack and interviews those who were involved in the investigation so many years ago – like a return to the crime scene.

But what is truly unique is how she writes creatively about the couple themselves, retracing what their steps may have been, bringing some of their personality to the story. And finally, the life and the point of view of the bear, all culminate in the fateful event that resulted in all of their deaths. But in that she also takes her own story and life going forward in stride with renewed focus on living for the moment.

This was a great read, an audio book read by the author and she did a good job of narration. My rating went up after the story sat with me for a bit before I wrote this review. Highly recommend this unique book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada Audiobooks for an advanced audio copy for review.

View all my reviews