Bear

by Staffan Gnosspelius

FEATURED IN THE MARGINALIAN BY MARIA POPOVA (FORMERLY BRAIN PICKINGS) • A GRAPHICS BEAT MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK

A debut picture book for adults about a bear that elicits immediate, deep emotional recognition.

"A tender reminder that no one can save anyone, not even with love; that we only ever save ourselves when we are but love is what readies us to be our own savior."
—Maria Popova, The Marginalian

Bear , Staffan Gnosspelius’s debut book, is a gorgeous visual meditation on depression. In this deeply affecting, wordless picture book for adults, a bear is maddeningly afflicted with a cone that covers his head and that he is unable to take off. He furiously stomps and yells and tears at the cone, he implores the skies and fate for relief, he is drawn to dark and wild and scary places. The depths of his sadness feel like a defeat. It’s a battle he wages until he’s mentally and physically exhausted.
 
Then, one day, Bear hears notes of music, the humming of a friendly hare. The hare hovers nearby, concerned, sometimes driven away by Bear’s frustration and anger, more often staying close and gently offering support. The author began drawing a bear with a cone on his head as a way to make sense of how a person close to him was suffering from mental illness. The resulting book is both an emotional gut punch and a warm embrace, recognizable immediately to anyone who has ever suffered or loved someone who has suffered in similar dark places. In other words, all of us.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Animals, Fiction, Picture Books, Fantasy, Adult

80 pages, Hardcover

Published February 21, 2023

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically a picture book for adults, about depression. Bear, a bear, is wearing a large recovery cone around his neck and head. A rabbit comes along and tries to help the bear by removing said cone, but this only angers the bear - the cone suppressing a lot of outside world stimuli, something a depressed person tends to want, which leads to the bear pushing away the only creature that shows interest.



It's all done in beautiful drawings, without any dialogue. Very impressive.

(Picked up a review copy through Edelweiss)

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes there are no words to describe a feeling or experience. But there are other ways of expressing oneself.

This is a wordless, short graphic novel that vividly depicts dark depression as a bear with their head stuck in a bucket. Bear struggles to get their head out. A small rabbit comes along and tries to help, but after failing, Bear lashes out and rabbit cowers. Bear continues into deeper and darker landscapes and becomes even more trapped. But the song from rabbit sticks in Bear’s head, and they can’t help singing it. Rabbit hears, finds Bear again, and helps to extricate Bear.

Dark but beautifully illustrated. The power of being consumed by a struggle is clearly shown, but so is the power of gentle love.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful wordless graphic novel about depression and friendship. Wonderfully drawn with emotional impact.

[Emylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sure was a book!

[Thomas Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

metaphors be metaphorin’

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

An emotional story told without words.

[Bear]

a very sweet gift from my mama :)

[Bridget S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a meh for me.

[Etain Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was real. Love to all the bears and their hares out there <3

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clever depiction of feeling stuck, in the abyss, depression, relationships, anxiety etc.

[Rafaela Perpétua · Rating 5 out of 5]

parece-me incrível o quanto se pode dizer sem palavras. este livro silencioso ilustra de forma brilhante, a negro, como só poderia ser, o que sente uma pessoa com depressão: às vezes impossibilitada de conseguir receber ajuda, o isolamento, inevitável, em que se coloca, ainda que tente com todas as forças libertar-se da dor, numa espiral quase sem fim. é, também, sobre o impacto que tudo isso tem em quem a rodeia, e o quão importante é ter um bom suporte. porque, ainda que muito difícil, há sempre esperança na recuperação. brilhante!

[Dolores · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wordless graphic novel is a good metaphor for depression. The art is super dark and bleak, and occasionally hard to see.

[Aurora · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t think I liked it, which is a shame. The story, such as it was, was kinda meh. And the art was unfortunately often blurry & hard to parse.

[Chantel · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the woods, where the land is vast & the trees overshadow greens, there is a Bear with a cone on his head. He sits alone & without speaking we know, we have been the bear once too.

This graphic novel is not one I might typically leave a content warning for, given nothing is said; there is no writing of any kind. However, I would not feel right leaving this review without a word of caution regarding the content that is hinted at through the detailed illustrations provided across the pages. This book, in my opinion, casts a very bright light on what it is to live with mental turmoil, mental unrest, & a burden on the heart & the mind. There are certainly ample ways to interpret this story but, regardless of which way you lean, what is clear is that Bear is dealing with very distressing emotions. This story should be read when one is prepared to be reminded that in the world of thorns, bushes, sharp edges, & gloom, someone loves you. If that person is yourself or another, inside or outside your being, you are worthy of tenderness & care.

With this being said, I feel confident that many readers will find themselves as I did; confused. At first, it appears as though Bear is simply stuck. He has a bucket, or maybe it’s a cone, on his head & he cannot get it off. After trying for what seems like forever, Bear finally gives up. Then, along comes the Hare.

Bear tries to welcome the help that this other creature is trying to give to him but we see that it is difficult; almost impossible to accept. Soon, the two are at odds & we come to realize that the cone represents so much more than a tunnel through which Bear views the world, it is all the ways that he is held back. The cone might be viewed as a physical blocker; something that Bear tries to work past with his hands & tools. It is also a metaphorical obstacle which we see when Bear roams away from Hare, on his own.

What is most moving within this graphic novel is the instance in which we see Bear free from the confines of the cone. He realizes that he is free & yet, he remembers the anger & unkind behaviour he exhibited on Hare. Perhaps he believes that he should be in the cone; perhaps he believes that his powerful emotions, the ones leaving him feeling sadness, seclusion, & fear, are what he deserves. When we are faced with this scene, the story becomes quite overwhelming.

The reader can easily see that Bear has done what any person might do, he was upset because he has spent so long held back by the confines of the cone. Though the Hare tries to help him, this aid takes time & because Bear does not see any progress or any positive conclusion in sight, so he pushes the Hare away. I should wager to say that this sentiment is one which many people are familiar with, unfortunate as that might be.

This book offers readers a tangible glimpse into what many of us live with every day. The illustrations within this book are incredible. They bring to life such vivid sentiments & secrets held within the world of mental illness, I was quite blown away, seeing them displayed in such a moving manner. I would hope that everyone has the opportunity to read books in which they might see themselves reminded that what they hold deep inside is not innately something they deserve to carry. Pain, distress, & sorrow are not emotions that should be cast onto us like penance for being alive. Books such as this one remind us kindly that our worst wounds, our deepest burdens, & our most cataclysmic fears can be set to rest with tenderness toward ourselves.

Thank you to Edelweiss+, Seven Stories Press, & Staffan Gnosspelius for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Downward · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow. a wordless story told through beautiful black and white illustrations, sometimes chaotically rendered that tells the story of a bear who is trapped (physically? emotionally? yes.) and the friendship of a rabbit that stands with the bear even though he is sometimes frightened by the bear's outbursts and wounded by the way the bear treats him. the illustrations and raw emotions move it away from being a children's book, but it's a lesson worthy of children. there's also a very clear distinction between the natural and unnatural, backgrounded by visions of power lines and concrete bridges among the forrest and all terrorized by an unnamed tentacled and all consuming force that comes and goes as it pleases.

[Linda Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps it is cheating to include a book that has no words, but this one is exceptional. The story is told through black and white drawings. This little book tells of a bear who gets his head caught in a bucket like container and the rabbit who tries to help him. This help is rejected more than once by the angry and frustrated predator. In the end, kindness prevails. It could look like a children's book at first glance but the message will definitely resonate with adults. I finished it standing in the aisle of my local bookstore and then bought it for my 30-year-old nephew. As a fan of graphic novels, I think he will appreciate the artistry of Bear.

[Kim Lockhart · Rating 2 out of 5]

I suspect that this is meant to be a wordless allegory about the perils and heartbreak of trying to help someone overcome addiction, and how difficult that is in every way. There is not much to the story. There is some lovely art thrown in at the end, which I would love to see more of, but I have no idea what those art pages had to do with the narrative. My most charitable take would be that the art represents the possibility of a fuller life, if the Bear can let go of what is holding him back. In summary, this is a wordless set of scenes where a rabbit tries to help a bear.

[Heather Pingel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wordless book filled with black and white illustrations is a moving depiction of what it feels like to have depression, and the push and pull of the people who want to help. Only to end with causing pain to the one trying their hardest to help. But the guilt and resulting apology needed to build that relationship again is expertly shown. This book, while a quick read, will remain with me for a long, long time.

[Fiore · Rating 3 out of 5]

My primary issue with this is I vaguely wished there was greater contrast or clarity in some of the images. I imagine the consistent darkness is a part of the bear's depression journey but there were a bunch of moments where I couldn't quite parse was was happening until a few pages later. I did enjoy this for how it showed having someone there could be reassuring while also illustrating being that someone with such great devotion can be a source of pain as well.

[James Zaksek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book resonated with me for more reasons than I thought the first time I read it. I read it a second time last night and realized that this is one of the most accurate portrayals of what my depression has felt like on my worst days. I appreciated how this felt for me and I would absolutely recommend this to anyone that wants to read a story about how the power of love overcomes even your darkest days.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet little melancholic book with a happy ending. The art is beautiful, though it's a little dark and hard to make out details at some points.
But I just didn't connect with it. Maybe if it'd been a gift from a loved one when I was sad, it'd be a five-star. But it was a random pick-up at the library and I "read" through it in like five minutes, so three stars it is!

[Shari (Shira) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not what I expected! In this wordless picture book, the protagonist, Bear, is clearly suffering from depression. Depression is presented in several ways: in a snake pit; tangled in octopus tentacles; head stuck in a flower pot. Bear's friends try to help. There are periods of relief, but they don't last. So clever...

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps because I am more prone to melancholy than actual depression, and perhaps because I am a word and abstract concept type person rather than an art/image person, this book did not effect me as it did my wife and daughter. So tricky to rate, I appreciated it for what it was but didn't feel the emotional punch it packs for many.

[ladybugcharm27 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really wonderful and touching ,, I loved the subtle detailing of how the vines went from vines to thorns to tentacles -- along with the bear being pictured as more tangled whenever he found himself in a panic. I felt so much for both the bear and the bunny even without words -- such a special work that I'd have on my future child's bookshelf.

[Krista | theliterateporcupine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Expertly illustrated, Moving, and Relatable, this wordless graphic novel seems to have a basic plot until you read deeper into it and realize that just maybe, there might be a little bit of Bear in everyone.

[Mary Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tugs at the hearts of many who have experienced depression or wanted to help a family member with it.It doesn't solve anything except to say that you're not alone. Sometimes you have to reach out yourself and other times people will see you and just sit with you.

[Maja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought it for my boyfriend for Christmas, couldn't help myself and flipped through it before giving it to him, cried, a few days later I flipped through it again and cried again. I'm not sure if it was such a great gift idea....

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically, a picture book for adults... more complicatedly, an adult graphic novel dealing with depression and struggles, and mental health issues while dealing with others and trying to just survive.

[Briz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world needs more books like this. a
Proof of the old cliche, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Whether it’s the protagonist, deuteragonist, or the setting, the reader knows and feels perhaps more deeply than they would if words accompanied. My heart thanks Staffan for such a powerful work.

[Mace · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book, both in theme and in drawings. It made me feel a lot of things, impressive considering there are no words.

Read for Book Riot's 2025 Read Harder Challenge: Read a wordless comic. (6/24 complete)
Also satisfies Buzzword Reading AND Cover Challenge 2025 for April: Animals