Book Review of Exit, Pursued By A Bear by E.K. Johnston

Exit, Pursued By A Bear by E.K. Johnston has been languishing on my TBR for a year now. I can't recall where I first heard about it, or why exactly I added it to the list (which is probably part of the reason I didn't track it down at the library sooner--it always helps to have context for why I decided I wanted to read something). Still, I'm glad I finally got around to it. At first, I didn't find the cover very appealing, but periodically as I was reading, I'd catch myself flipping the book closed to look at it, so, I guess you could say it grew on me. Also, it represented the story well.

Exit, Pursued By A Bear has a beautiful motif relating to its title, which comes from the Shakespeare Play, 'A Winter's Tale.' The great thing about the way Johnston chose to incorporate history's most famous stage direction and the stageplay which gave it context is that one need not be a Shakespeare scholar (or even be familiar with the play in the least) to understand and appreciate the book. However, the more Johnston's readers know about the play which gave her book its title, the more nuance the story has. I love it when writers refuse to write down to a YA audience. Or course, not everyone holding your book may get every reference, but that doesn't mean you should take them out. This is a case where not doing that paid off, for sure.

There is much to love about this book. In an age when stories about sexual assault are almost always coupled with stories about how survivors of sexual assault lack community support, Johnston's fresh take where her protagonist Hermione is able to find help at every turn is a nice change, in that it shares a perspective which is true (some survivors do have great support networks and access to all of the help they need), which isn't often represented. It also illustrates that, in situations where everyone who knows a survivor does everything they possibly can to help, that doesn't just make the problem go away. Though Hermione is obviously able to draw strength from the many people who unconditionally have her back, it doesn't negate the assault itself. 

My favorite character was Hermione's best friend, Polly. Johnston mentions teeth several times in the story, specifically in reference to a girl baring them while fiercely standing up for herself (or for a friend), and often, that girl is Polly. Polly is tried-and-true. She embodies both loyalty and bravery. She is completely an ally in every sense of the word. As Hermione wakes up and doesn't know what happened to her, Polly is there to give her the facts. As Hermione struggles through beginning to remember her assault in PTSD flashbacks, Polly is there to bring her back to the here and now. As people at school are being ignorant and victim-blaming, Polly is there to shield her from the bullshit. Polly is one of the most amazing friends I've ever encountered on the page.

I was very nearly put off by the fact that Hermione is a cheerleader, and much of the book is set against a backdrop of cheerleading, which is so aggressively not my thing. But, while cheerleading is important to Hermione and other characters in the story, it really isn't important to the book, itself. Reading Exit, Pursued By A Bear when you don't like cheerleading is kind of like reading or watching The Blind Side when you don't like football--it's okay, because that really isn't the point, and, while it is a major factor, to be sure, it isn't so pervasive that you can't enjoy the story. (...like I found it to be with Tangerine and soccer, for example.)

My complaint about Exit, Pursued By A Bear, however, is the ending. It is such an absurd deus ex machina that I have now lost the ability to even. The ending really felt like Johnston just got tired of writing this well-developed thread and of following Hermione's character on her journey, and decided to wrap it all up in less than ten pages, in pretty much the most unrealistic way possible. I'm not sure if it totally ruined the book for me, but it did take the story from a "must read" down to a "this is pretty good" in my mind. So, read Exit, Pursued By A Bear, unless you are the type of reader who counts on a well thought-out and artful ending.