The Bear Went Over The Mountain - William Kotzwinkle

   1996; 306 pages.  New Author? : Yes.  Genres : American Humorous Fiction; Americana; Satire.  Overall Rating : 8½*/10.

 

     Arthur Bramhall, a literature professor at the University of Maine, has taken a sabbatical.  It won’t be a vacation; he plans to write a best-selling novel set in the picturesque Maine countryside.

 

    Writing it turned out to be an uphill battle.  The first version, titled Destiny and Desire, was completely reduced to ashes when Bramhall’s rural farmhouse burned down.

 

    Undeterred, and now living in a little cabin, Bramhall sets forth to write an even better story.  And, at least according to himself, he's succeeded.  The next step is to find a publisher, but in the meantime, he needs to make sure it can’t be lost in a fire.

 

    So Arthur packs the precious manuscript in a briefcase, and takes it out into the meadow across from his cabin, then hides the briefcase under the boughs of a spruce tree.  Safe from any fire, Arthur is sure.

 

    Too bad a bear was watching Arthur stash the briefcase.  After Arthur departs, the bear’s curiosity takes over, which naturally involves the subject of food, since bears are always hungry.

 

    Maybe there’s a pie in that there briefcase!

 

What’s To Like...

    From the very beginning of the tale, the bear in The Bear Went Over the Mountain is an amazing creature.  He can read, he can open briefcases, he can even talk with humans.  More advanced things, such as selling things for profit, or having ulterior motives are beyond him, at least at the beginning of the story.  But the bear is a quick learner, especially if it’s something that can fill his belly with all those sweet foods that humans enjoy.

 

    The main storyline of the tale becomes apparent early on, and revealing it is not a spoiler.  As the bear ventures further into the human world, he begins to become human.  Meanwhile, Arthur Bramhall, trying to locate the bear/thief in the wilds, gains a greater understanding of forest creatures, and begins turning into a bear.

 

    For me, the biggest joy of reading this book was watching our two protagonists adapt to their new environments.  The bear can talk, but only barely, or should I say “bearly”.  Most of the time he utters "food" words, because that's what he mostly thinks about, but his utterances are usually misinterpreted as being keen insight into the humans he’s interacting with.  But the bear is undeterred; his dream is to become recognized as a human.

 

    I enjoyed the many cultural references in the book.  Rachmaninoff’s “Vespers” gets mentioned in passing, so does Proust’s “In Remembrance of Things Past”.  I chuckled at the mention of the “Dalton bookstore”; that franchise used to be in just about every shopping mall around; now I don’t think they even exist anymore.

 

    The ending is good, albeit straightforward and without any startling twists.  Both the bear, who along the way acquires the name “Hal Jam”, and Arthur end up happy and content.  Things close with a brief epilogue, which leaves the door open for a sequel, but I don’t believe William Kotzwinkle has penned one in the three decades since The Bear Went Over the Mountain was published.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon:  4.4/5 based on 246 ratings and 121 reviews.

    Goodreads: 3.72/5 based on 2,293 ratings and 348 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    Wheelock said, “We’ve all been concerned for you, Arthur.”

    Bramhall’s nose twitched.  The smell that was coming from Wheelock was ambition, a sweet greasy smell, as if Wheelock were roasting a pig in his shirt.

    “The department was wondering if you’ve had trouble with your mail,” said Settlemire.

    “I don’t open mail anymore.”

    “Ah.”  Wheelock was noting Bramhall’s filthy pants.  And he seems to be sprouting hair on his forehead.  Glandular disturbance?  (loc. 1128)

 

    “Something in that window upset you.  What was it?”

    A taxi pulled toward them, and the bear jumped in.  Zou Zou climbed in after him.  He was looking out the back window apprehensively.

    My god, wondered Zou Zou, is he going to crack the way Hemingway did?  Or is he on some weird drug??  And if he is why doesn’t he give some to me?

    Gall bladder of bear, thought the bear.  This is the real human world.  They act civilized they wear frilly panties, but when they feel like it, they’ll put you in a bottle.  (loc. 1404)

 

Kindle Details…

    The Bear Went Over the Mountain costs $12.99 at Amazon right now, which makes it the highest-priced e-book by this author.  William Kotzwinkle has nine other books available for your Kindle, including a children’s book titled Walter the Farting Dog.  Those e-books cost anywhere from 2.99 to $9.99.  I don’t think all of his novels have been converted to e-book format yet.

 

“What I always say is if you ain’t got a noseful of porcupine quills, you’re doing okay.”  (loc. 283)

    There are a few nits to pick.  William Kotzwinkle has written a number of children’s books (see the previous section for his most famous series), and since this book’s title references an old children’s ditty by the same name, you might assume it’s also a children’s book.

 

    It is not.  I didn’t notice any cusswords in the first 10% of the book, but 14 showed up in the next 10% of the book, including a couple of f-bombs.  A number of adult situations also occur, and you really don’t want little Timmy or Susie asking about those.

 

    There are no chapter divisions in the book.  Terry Pratchett would be proud, but most of us readers like to have easily identifiable places to stop.  The Kindle version also had no page numbers, although in fairness, the “location numbers” are there which can be a substitute for page numbers.  The editing was good; I only spotted one typo: break-through/breakthrough.

 

    Overall, I enjoyed The Bear Went Over the Mountain.  It’s a fast, easy read, and there’s plenty of satire, which are a nice balance for the author's insights into a world where humans and feral animals search to find a way to coexist.

 

    I have one other e-book by William Kotzwinkle on my Kindle, his 1974 breakthrough bestseller, The Fan Man.  Since the selection of his books for the Kindle is limited, I might have to go looking for some of his yet-to-be-digitalized books at my local used-book store.

 

    8½ Stars.  Go back and re-read the second excerpt, which mentions “Gall Bladder of Bear”.  I thought this was some silliness invented by the author for comic effect, but it's real.  Go to Wikipedia and look up “Bile Bear”, and be ready to be outraged.