betty reviewed Bear daughter by Berman, Judith
Review of 'Bear daughter' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
[b:Bear Daughter|508364|Bear Daughter|Judith Berman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1309209274s/508364.jpg|496387] is quite obviously set among pre-contact west-coast natives. [a: Berman|1561120|A.S. Berman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1238506385p2/1561120.jpg] is an anthropologist specializing in west-coast natives, but I was a bit uneasy reading something so saturated in native folklore written by a white woman. However, at no point did I feel that she presumed, although obviously, I am not an expert. I was also reassured by reading the author's essay on her struggle not to appropriate. [www.vectormagazine.co.uk/article.asp?articleID=29]. It's a thoughtful essay, and one which I recommend.
That out of the way, it was nice to read a story in which no white people appeared (discluding the girl on the cover who could only look whiter if she were blonde). The culture was treated as normal, rather than a deviation from the norm, and the author made the interesting choice, which I decided I liked, to use the less exotic word whenever one …
[b:Bear Daughter|508364|Bear Daughter|Judith Berman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1309209274s/508364.jpg|496387] is quite obviously set among pre-contact west-coast natives. [a: Berman|1561120|A.S. Berman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1238506385p2/1561120.jpg] is an anthropologist specializing in west-coast natives, but I was a bit uneasy reading something so saturated in native folklore written by a white woman. However, at no point did I feel that she presumed, although obviously, I am not an expert. I was also reassured by reading the author's essay on her struggle not to appropriate. [www.vectormagazine.co.uk/article.asp?articleID=29]. It's a thoughtful essay, and one which I recommend.
That out of the way, it was nice to read a story in which no white people appeared (discluding the girl on the cover who could only look whiter if she were blonde). The culture was treated as normal, rather than a deviation from the norm, and the author made the interesting choice, which I decided I liked, to use the less exotic word whenever one was available: house, instead of longhouse, feast instead of potlatch.
The story is long, and comfortably inhabits the liminal space between the mundane and the spiritual. Cloud, the protagonist, is at times self-centered, cowardly, and sullen, and yet remains likable, somehow, perhaps because of her loyalty to those she loves. I liked that the culture's patriarchal tendencies were not white-washed, and that the class system's fundamental injustice was treated frankly.
Recommended for those who want an unconventional quest story and good writing.