‘How to Survive a Bear Attack’ author Claire Cameron on the books she loves and the ones she doesn’t (sorry, Harry Potter)

In 1991, a couple on a camping trip near Algonquin Park was killed in a rare predatory bear attack. While working as a wilderness instructor at the park a year later, Claire Cameron heard the story circulating among co-workers and clients. Fascinated by the tragic event, the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize-nominated author began researching all the ways that one could defend against a hypothetical mauling.

Cameron’s new memoir “How to Survive a Bear Attack” (Knopf Canada) catalogues these means of defence, as well as the way that the figure of the bear somehow became entwined with the memory of her father Angus, who died in 1983 from a rare form of skin cancer. A genetic mutation meant that he did not possess natural protection from the sun’s UV rays, making him susceptible to developing melanomas.

As an adult, Cameron’s main solace against her grief was the great outdoors, but a skin cancer diagnosis and the news that she shares the same mutation as her father led to a haunting recognition: “I realized how foolish I was. I’d been preparing to fight a bear when the thing that would most likely kill me — my own DNA — had been lurking in a place much closer.”

Cameron is also the author of “The Line Painter,” “The Bear” and “The Last Neanderthal.” 

What did you last read and what made you read it?

I listened to the audiobook of Tanya Talaga’s “The Knowing.” I picked it up because I am a long-time student of Canadian history, but there is so much that wasn’t included in my formal education — all the children who were sent to residential schools and never came home. When I love an audiobook, I end up buying a print copy. I love how Talaga combines the generational story of her family with meticulous research to draw a bright line from the past to our present. The result is as emotionally gripping as it is informative. This book is a masterpiece.

What book would your readers be shocked to find in your collection?

One of my most prized possessions is the first book I worked on as an editorial assistant, “Biology, 5th Edition.” While not exactly shocking, it’s a textbook that runs over 1,200 pages. For some, it might be hard to love, but I cherish it. The author, Neil Campbell, taught me so much about how to make a book — the rigour, research, precision and the importance of respecting the mindset of a reader. I’ve never forgotten what I learned from him.

When was the last time you devoured a book in one, or very few, sittings?

I recently finished an advance copy of “Nobody Asked for This,” a novel by Georgia Toews. It’s about a young woman who is trying to make her way in Toronto as a standup comedian. I read it in one night — the same night I learned that it’s possible for a book to make me laugh and cry at the exact same time.

Who’s the one author or what’s the one book you’ll never understand, despite the praise?

I hope no one in my immediate family reads this, but it’s any of the Harry Potter books. My mind simply won’t adhere to whatever is going on in them. I have two boys and they have grown up with the books and the movies. After countless times through both, I still can’t tell you much of what happened in any of them.

What’s the one book that has not garnered the success that it deserves?

Almost every book that’s ever been published. There is an often-cited statistic that only two per cent of books sell more than 50,000 copies. Part of growing as an author is coming to understand that in writing, merit, heart and effort don’t necessarily translate into sales or whatever success might be. I’ve learned to separate my writing from what happens after. 

What book would you give anything to read again for the first time?

“Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro. It has what I’d call the opposite of a surprising twist. Instead, the story slowly unfolds to a life-altering revelation. I would love to experience that dawning again. There are two kinds of Ishiguro fans and they tend to split evenly down the middle. About half say “Never Let Me Go” is his best book. The other half say “The Remains of the Day” is his best book and they are wrong.

When you were 10 years old, what was your favourite book?

My dad was a professor of Old English. He used to tell me the story of Beowulf, one of the earliest known examples of which is in Old English. Beowulf is a hero who fights three monsters. First is Grendel, a flesh-eating beast; next is his wicked mother, bent on vengeance; and the last battle is against a night-flying dragon who terrorizes the land. My dad’s retelling of the story had everything: shining swords, brave acts, fierce battles and gold cups.

My dad died when I was nine years old. I remember feeling so lonely in the years after. I’ve kept his memory alive by reading different versions of “Beowulf” ever since.

What fictional character would you like to be friends with?

Grendel from Beowulf. My fascination with monsters started with him. In the story, when Beowulf rips off Grendel’s arm, he pins it above the door in the mead hall, and Grendel’s mother has to get it back for him. I always understood that Grendel is sad and full of rage, but it’s only more recently, after reading an essay by Toni Morrison, that I came to see in the story that there is no reason given for Grendel’s rage — why did he become a flesh-eating monster? I’d like to hang out with him and ask. 

Do you have a comfort read that you revisit?

It might be a strange answer, but it’s “Touching the Void,” a classic mountaineering story. Two best friends go climbing in the Peruvian Andes. When Joe Simpson, the author, suffers a catastrophic fall, he is left dangling off the side of a mountain from a climbing rope with a broken leg. His partner, Simon, tries to hang on to the rope, but ends up making the hardest possible decision. The book is about the true story of all that comes after. While not exactly comforting, it is the kind of book that I love because it grabs my full attention. I’m so focused on the story that I forget I’m living my life at all.

What was the last book that made you laugh or cry?

This was “Nobody Asked for This” by Georgia Toews — it made me laugh and cry!

What is the one book you wish you had written?

“Small Things Like These” by Claire Keegan. Every word is exactly right. There is not one word out of place. If I’d written it, I could die knowing I’d written a perfect book.

What three authors living or dead would you like to have a coffee with?

If I’m allowed to conjure spirits, I would want to have coffee with the Canadian author Andrew Pyper. He died, age 56, on Jan. 3, 2025. I miss him.

What does your definition of personal literary success look like?

To write another book — my best yet. I have cancer. The last time I went through a round of treatment, I couldn’t write. When my surgeon cut out the cancer, it felt like he accidentally cut out my creativity at the same time. I found a way to write again and I’m healthy right now. All I want to do is write my heart out.