Bear Necessity: A Novel

by James Gould-Bourn, Rupert Holliday-Evans (Read by)

Overview

A heartwarming, poignant, and charming debut novel for fans of Nick Hornby and The Rosie Project, about a father and son overcoming their grief in surprisingly inventive ways.

Danny’s life is falling apart. He’s become a single father to eleven-year-old Will—who hasn’t spoken since the death of his mother in a car crash a year earlier—and Danny has just been fired from his construction job. To make matters worse, he’s behind on the rent and his nasty landlord is threatening to break his legs if he doesn’t pay soon. Danny needs money, and fast.

After observing local street performers in a nearby park, Danny spends his last few dollars on a tattered panda costume, impulsively deciding to become a dancing bear. While performing one day, Danny spots his son in the park, and chases off the older boys who are taunting him. Will opens up for the first time since his mother’s death, unaware that the man in the panda costume is his father. Afraid of disclosing his true identity, Danny comforts his son. But will Danny lose Will’s trust once he reveals who he is? And will he be able to dance his way out of debt, or be beaten up before he has a chance?

Filled with a colorful cast of characters, Bear Necessity is a refreshingly unpretentious and ultimately uplifting story of a father and son reconnecting in the most unlikely of circumstances.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781797109695
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Audio
Publication date:	08/04/2020
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 5.70(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

James Gould-Bourn is an award-winning screenwriter and novelist from Manchester. He is a graduate of Faber Academy’s writing course. He was once a copywriter for the website Bored Panda and previously worked for landmine-clearance NGOs in Africa and the Middle East. Bear Necessity is his first novel. He lives in Lithuania.

Reading Group Guide

This reading group guide for Bear Necessity includes an introduction and discussion questions. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.

Introduction

Danny’s life is falling apart. A single father to eleven-year-old Will—who hasn’t spoken since the death of his mother in a car crash a year earlier—Danny has been fired from his construction job. To make matters worse, he’s behind on the rent and his landlord is threatening to break his legs if he doesn’t pay soon. Danny needs money, and fast. After observing local street performers in a nearby park, Danny spends his last few dollars on a tattered panda costume, impulsively deciding to become a dancing bear. What follows is a funny and moving story of how a father and son overcome their grief in surprising ways.

Topics and Questions for Discussion

1. Early on in Bear Necessity, we learn that Danny’s wife died in a car accident that left his son, Will, unscathed. Danny expresses a wish that it had been him instead. Do you think Will feels similarly?

2. On page 11, Danny wonders what Will is communicating by not speaking. He says: “Whatever he wants to say to me, it can’t be any worse than the silence.” What do you think Will’s silence means? Do you agree there is nothing worse than silence?

3. Danny decides to create a dance act after observing street performers in the park. What motivated this impulsive choice? How does being a single parent affect the other decisions he makes?

4. Danny chooses the panda costume because it’s the cheapest one in the shop. How does the silliness of the panda costume affect the book? Which costume would you have chosen?

5. On page 75, Danny speaks to a photo of his late wife, asking her what he is doing. How does Liz’s presence linger over this story?

6. How does Danny’s relationship to dance shift over the course of the novel? Why do you think he perseveres?

7. What makes Will feel comfortable enough to finally talk to the man in the panda costume? Do you think Danny’s silence in that scene encourages Will to open up?

8. When Danny has the opportunity to win a life-changing sum of money in a competition, he teams up with an unlikely ally. Were you surprised by the relationship that Danny builds with Krystal? What does he learn from her and from the other street performers?

9. Will tells the panda that he didn’t speak after his mom’s death because he “thought it would all go away if I ignored it for long enough” (page 155). Danny seems to be on a similar path when we first meet him. How does their grief evolve over the course of the book?

10. When Danny rereads his notes from his conversation with Will, he keeps returning to the sentence “Mum was like my friend, but my dad is just my dad” (page 161). Why do you think Will feels this way? Have you felt similarly with your own parents?

11. James Gould-Bourn introduces readers to a lively cast of characters. Which of the secondary players is your favorite, and why?

12. While Bear Necessity explores some heavy themes around loss, loneliness, and love, it alternates between humorous passages and more thoughtful, sentimental ones. What was the funniest moment for you?

Editorial Reviews

06/01/2020

Gould-Bourn’s promising if contrived comic debut finds Londoner Danny Malooley grieving his wife, Liz, who died in a car accident more than a year earlier. He is also distressed that his son Will, 11, who is bullied at school, has “selective mutism” and refuses to speak. Adding to his troubles, Danny loses his construction job, which prevents him from paying his angry, vicious landlord several months of back rent. Sad-sack Danny has few skills, so he comes up with a foolhardy plan to work as a dancing panda street performer. While Danny can’t dance, his new “career” has one benefit: Will talks to the panda, unaware he is talking to his dad. Gould-Bourn generates humor from his clever supporting characters, including mouthy pole dancer Krystal (“Why you dressed like a skunk anyway?” she asks, after they meet on a bus). Krystal teaches Danny some dance moves, while his Ukrainian friend Ivan gets some of the best lines. The plot feels a bit flimsy, with things turning out almost too well for Danny, but Gould-Bourn pulls off sweet scenes of Danny becoming a more attentive dad. The story climaxes with a Battle of the Street Performers contest that provides some amusement, but this feel-good story about coping with grief ultimately feels too lightweight. Agent: Joanna Swainson, Hardman & Swainson. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"James Gould-Bourn’s novel is a comedy of sadness and dancing bears. That alone should convince you to pick up a copy, but I’ll add that it’s a delightful story about fatherhood and childhood. And dancing bears."
—Owen King, author of Double Feature

"Fast, fresh and very very funny. Moving effortlessly from comedy to poignancy, it's a story of joy, of connection and of the overwhelming resilience of the human spirit. Reading it made me want to dance. An absolute gem of a book."
—Katie Marsh, author of The Rest of Me

"A deeply comforting story... heartfelt themes and wit further elevate charming plot twists and a well-tuned cast of quirky, supporting characters who prove that the spirit of friendship can build bridges to greater understanding and brighter days. Gould-Bourn is a beautiful, perceptive writer who has crafted a moving, sensitive story that is also very funny. Bear Necessity is a perfect literary antidote to anxious, troubled times."
—Shelf Awareness

"Refreshing.... a well-written, speedy read that focuses on the love between a dad and his son and how it can lead to friendship."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Promising, sweet... a feel-good story about coping with grief."
—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2020-05-18
A London widower who is having trouble supporting his son turns to dancing as a panda in the park.

With the unexpected death of his wife in her late 20s, Danny Malooley has been slowly falling further and further behind on his rent. Young parents at 17, Danny and Liz were very much in love and delighted in their son, Will, even though they struggled to make ends meet as he grew up. Fourteen months after Liz’s death, however, Danny finds himself with an 11-year-old son who hasn’t spoken since the accident, so far behind on his rent that his landlord has threatened to break his legs if he doesn’t pay up, unfairly fired from his construction job, and grasping at any opportunity to make money. The realization that street performers in the park earn enough to cover his rent spurs his decision to buy a deeply discounted panda costume all but destroyed by the hard-partying college student who last rented it. Standing in the park in a smelly costume does not garner the money he’d hoped—though, shock of shocks, his son actually starts talking after Danny saves him from bullies—so he decides to start dancing in the costume. And after a chance encounter with Krystal, a pole-dancer (a near-naked performer, not a stripper, she is keen to make clear), who subsequently makes fun of his lack of skills, Danny convinces her to teach him to dance so he can try to win a street performance competition with a purse so large he’ll be able to pay off his evil landlord. The platonic relationship between Danny and Krystal is refreshing. The story hinges on the fast friendships formed on construction sites, between street performers, and in strip clubs—the latter reminiscent of the movie Magic Mike but without even a hint of voyeurism.

A well-written, speedy read that focuses on the love between a dad and his son and how it can lead to friendship.

Kirkus Reviews