This is a very quiet novel, of two sisters looking after their sick mother, stuck in a tiny town with few prospects. Their mundane routine, made more precarious by the covid pandemic, is shaken when Elena, the older sister, steps outside their cabin to find a bear. The parts with the bear were the most well written, taut with tension so you could feel the power of the animal through the pages. But I grew tired of Sam’s behaviour throughout. I get her situation is a tough one, and Phillips writes their money worries with great delicacy, but the way she shuts anyone down who offers genuine advice about moving forwards in life is frustrating. It feels like she doesn’t actually want anything different, she just wants to complain about it. I wasn’t sure about the ending either - if I sit with it I feel like it might grow on me.

Picked up because I joined the NPR Books We Loved 2024 more out of curiosity (I’m deffo not going to read all 350 books on it - or am I?) and spotted this one from the list on my library website. I likely will pick up her first novel, Disappearing Earth, but I’ll hope it’s more impactful than this one.