There's a Bear in our House! - Thibault Busschots - ★★★★

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AUTHOR: Thibault Busschots
GENRE: Short Story
RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A short story about a young couple who encounter an unexpected guest in their new cottage. Mixes humour and awareness in an interesting way.


Plot Preview:
A young couple has just moved into a cottage, eager to begin the next phase in their relationship: that of living together. As they are going about what they usually do, they have an unexpected visitor. Yup, as you might have guessed from the title: a bear. What happens next?


Let me first blow my own trumpet. This story exists because of me. 😎 No, no, I didn't write it. But I happened to read a short story titled 'There's a Bear in the House!', on the review of which I had complained that I was expecting something funnier and directly related to the bear. Author Thibault Busschots, who  happens to be a friend of mine on Goodreads, commented with what he would have expected from the title. I liked his idea so much that I told him he needs to pen down his version. And here we are! 


Woohoos:
+ The track related to the bear, and its purpose for the attack. Nicely done, with a subtle hint of how humans are affecting animal habitats.

+ Raises some great points about gender roles in a relationship - an unexpected bonus. I was going to complain about one thing, but realised that the author wrote that particular line with a specific intent. He sorts out the gender role expectations perfectly at the end, the message being perfectly in sync with my beliefs on the matter.

+ I like how the couple stays unnamed throughout the story. The 'He' and 'She' make their issues more neutral than specific to a particular country or culture. 

+ The pacing - steady all the way. 

+ The story structuring - great beginning, impressive middle, nice ending. 

+ The funny elements in between the serious bear attack, partly due to the events and partly because of the couple's banter, serve well to lighten the tension. A couple of the comic scenes are slightly slapstick in nature, which doesn't work much for me but isn’t poorly written.


Hmmms:
- There are many extended conversations in this 20-page tale. Most of these clearly show the connect between the couple. But at times, it becomes tough to figure out who is doing the talking.

- While I like the inclusion of the message, it gets a teeny bit heavyhanded at the end. I'd have preferred the story to end the way it began: with a focus on the couple than on the environment.


All in all, THIS is the kind of story I would have expected from this title - the right mix of terror and humour and morals. Good for a quick break, plus you get to support an indie author.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this story from the author, and my review is honest and voluntary. I beta-read this work for the author, but my review is based on the published version.

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