Welcome to My Monday Minis.
This is where I review short stories and flash fiction.
For today I’ll be telling you about Bear Dog
by Camden Ayan
My Review
Bear Dog is still a mystery to me.
I never got a true sense of where this takes place. The author is from Canada, so perhaps there. I’m also guessing as to when it took place. The way Jule expresses himself and the mention of a bailiff and constable have me thinking the 1800’s but I could be wrong.
Despite these unknowns, I still enjoyed this story. There’s what I think is native american lore dribbled throughout, especially pertaining to the bear dog.
I’m also not sure what the bear dog is. Is it living? A spirit? Is it a dog or a monster? You’re never told what it really looks like and left wondering whether it’s even real. This mystery has depth and more than one meaning.
Told from the perspective of the younger boy, Jule, you’re privy to his thoughts and experience the farm and its surroundings from his feelings, down to the chirping of a cricket.
I understand this to be the first in a trilogy. While I did get a bit of a conclusion at the end, I was still left with many questions.
I’ll be watching for more as much for those answers as for the authors prose.
3 Stars
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