So I found this harlequin romance paperback today, and normally I just toss those right over without paying them much mind, but the cover of this one made me pause. Sure that the artist was just taking liberties, I checked out the back.

I’m dubious. I should read a passage:

It is a literal bear.

Okay yeah I’ll admit it I’m going to read this but only because it sounds like the most fucked up romance novel in existence.

But wait….

_{You have some explaining to do, Canada.}

You guys don’t understand. Screw it being a bestseller, 50 Shades of Gray is a bestseller, this book won the Governor General’s Award. That’s the highest literary award in Canada. That’s the pulitzer prize of Canadian literature. Bear is a part of Canadian literary history.

HOLY MOLY.

Canada, eh?

i had to read this book in uni for my first year Canadian literature class. When we first heard of it we were like, “Oh the Bear’s a metaphor or some shit.” but then one kid read ahead, and was like, “Guys, no, she literally fucks the bear. She fucked a bear.”