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BOOK REVIEW Bear, Otter, and the Kid
By Robert Kingett. Special to the online edition of Windy City Times
2014-05-27

This article shared 3865 times since Tue May 27, 2014
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When the word "sharing" is uttered, it's usually attached to material things, such as ice cream, cars, video games and other things.

Sometimes, though, the journey to figuring out what to share and who to share it with can bring greater moments than the action. Sometimes sharing your heart is the journey that shapes everything into a wonderful position in the fabric of life. Bear, Otter, and the Kid is more than just a story about sharing love and passion. It's a story of resilience, compassion, contemplation, responsibility, and the desire to love the soul after a crashing roller coaster.

Three years ago, Bear McKenna's mother took off for parts unknown with her new boyfriend, leaving Bear to raise his 6-year-old brother Tyson, aka the Kid. Somehow they've muddled through, but since he's totally devoted to the Kid, Bear isn't actually doing much living—with a few exceptions, he's retreated from the world, and he's mostly okay with that. That is, until Otter comes home.

Otter is Bear's best friend's older brother, and as they've done for their whole lives, Bear and Otter crash and collide in ways neither expects. This time, though, there's nowhere to run from the depth of emotion between them. Bear still believes his place is as the Kid's guardian, but he can't help thinking there could be something more for him in the world—something or someone.

This book has different journeys all in one gripping binding. The journey starts off simply, detailing how Bear has to resolve and be strong for his little brother, Ty. He isn't alone, though, even though he has a lot of pride. All of his friends—including Otter; his girlfriend Anna; his best friend, Creed; and Creed's older brother—vow to stand by his side and help him deal with the roller coaster that is about to occur. None of them know, however, what kind of roller-coaster will happen and to whom, and how it will affect the issues of love and sexuality.

This is possibly the best part about the book: that Bear is "straight" and definitely not "that way," as it leaves endless hours of character depth pouring through the pages as he and Otter explore the connection that they've maintained ever since they were little. It marks all of the characters involved in the plot, even if they are side characters who pop in and out of the story. It allows for questions to be asked and it also demands that answers happen eventually. The slow reveal of a person isn't going to be a cake walk for anyone involved and this is where the book shines like a diamond in the rough, allowing for questions to be asked about the actions that people take that affect others around them, including little ones who will, undoubtedly, surprise every now and then.

The style of writing is very good, laid out in a conversational manner. When reading, the words leapt out at me as if I were sitting in a cafe, talking to Bear and listening as he told me his story of discovery and acceptance. The voice is not the author's—which makes the book even better, and even easier to relate to and sympathize with. It's very easy to hear the doubts, the fears, the happy moments, the sad moments, and even the moments that are not supposed to be attached to any emotion. In this book, Bear, who narrates the story, gives it straight, in his unique way of crafting a story together. Bear definitely has a voice and the style of writing does what it's supposed to do, reflect his voice and how he thinks. Not once did I remember that Bear didn't write this story—someone else did—but that's the icing on top of an already epically crafted cake.

Even though the book is long and will definitely take some time to finish, the read is definitely worth it. The story holds many strands of substance beneath the pages that balance out a wild roller-coaster with a hunger to find out what happens next in the story and in the lives of all of the characters, not just the main three.

Real people live inside of this story, and that's evident with everyone's unique point of view about the different situations that happen, including Bear coming to terms with being gay. The sharp slap of truths by Anna will bring a needed swiftness to Bear's own insecurities. The precocious common sense statements about what is and what should be from the nine-year-old Kid engaged me with understandings about kindness and acceptance and show the world that sometimes, life is just life and that we all should live in this sweet haven of family because it's normal. The comic relief from Creed, Bear's best friend, will relieve the tension and torrents of emotions that are in this book.

Everyone has a bigger part to play in this story of many different fabrics. It won't be difficult at all to ride along with these people as they deal with life and its curve balls because all of the characters are fleshed out to the point where it became impossible for me to remember that they are just characters.

The issues of soul-searching and taking charge, along with the many dynamics and facets to the characters and writing, make this a story that begs for reliving and sharing even after the last page is closed. Adding a new dynamic of confusion about sexuality and the right choices people should make for everybody involved adds a lot of different layers onto an already well-crafted story that will make some straight people who believe it's a "choice" glimpse what someone has to go through with the struggles of coming out and acceptance in the world.

Told in a style that will have anyone listening intently as Bear sits down and explains what happened and why it happened the way that it happened, Bear, Otter, and the Kid teaches many things to a lot of different people. It teaches the lesson of responsibility to make the world go round. It teaches the value of caring and friendship when life creates problem after problem. It teaches the importance of letting things be because the world is just plain happier that way. With so many teachable moments packed away into a binding that will leave ringing in your heart and love in your soul, this accessible journey is definitely a road that more people should travel down because everyone will find something different, and epically sound, along the way.


This article shared 3865 times since Tue May 27, 2014
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