The Bear Strategy

THE BEAR STRATEGY is the story of Sarah Peele, the author of an imploding dissertation and a soon-to-be fired college teaching assistant who is charged with sexual misconduct because of a "wrong" kiss. When all else fails, Sarah finds herself traveling Europe and working as an assistant for the slightly failed but still famous novelist, Abbie Feldman. Dumped by her long-time boyfriend and cast into academic disgrace, Sarah must grapple with her dissertation about the novels by John Irving as well as her past--the father who fled, the mother who grieved, the wild sister who graduated from high school and never came back.

For most of her life, Sarah hid from the world in books and ideas, basing her actions on characters in her favorite novels, especially those by Irving. She thought she had everything down pat, but now nothing makes sense. Told by her advisor that "despair and failure are key to every writing project," Sarah stops working on her dissertation and attends Abbie's writing classes. When Abbie suddenly finds love and happiness in London and takes a heady trip to Rome with her new boyfriend, Sarah journeys with her sister Teresa through France on a "Death and Dismemberment Tour," which ironically leads her to wholeness. In Paris, she and Teresa confront their father, only to find out he's not the villain they thought he was.

Although nothing is solved and her future is still unclear, Sarah now has the confidence to start writing again for real.


Genre: Literary Fiction