BEAR SEASON (paperback)

Formats: Paperback, Ebook | ISBN (paperback): 9781739458003 | Pages: 176 | Published: 29 February 2024

About the Book

When Jade Hunter goes missing in the Alaskan wilderness, everyone is shocked. She was scheduled to speak at an academic symposium but never turned up. What was Jade really doing in Alaska?  

Blood is found in the woods and suspicion immediately falls on the reclusive survivalist Ursula Smith. She is swiftly arrested and convicted of Jade’s murder – even though a body has not been found.   

Several years later, Jade’s doctoral thesis leaks online, fuelling rumour and conspiracy over the true nature of her disappearance, leading investigative journalist Carla Young to dig through Jade’s life and discover what did happen to Jade Hunter. 

Praise for Bear Season:

‘Bloody hell! BEAR SEASON is terrific. A supremely confident blend of found-footage, true crime, and dark fairy tales that I found utterly impossible to put down. Fairclough's debut refuses easy answers and categorisation, just like the two women who become entangled in this dark story about a missing British PhD student in the Alaskan wilderness. Simply addictive.’
- Ally Wilkes, author of All the White Spaces

'Mystery and longing intertwine seductively in this compelling exploration of three women’s minds. All three are drawn inexorably to the Alaskan forest, where desire, grief and fear take on wilder forms, and human nature might blur with animal instinct. BEAR SEASON asks: what does each of us conceal, under our pelts?'
- Zoe Gilbert, author of Folk and Mischief Acts

'BEAR SEASON is a deft, thoughtful, unique gem of a book. Crafted with care, skill and sensitivity, it weaves together tension, mystery, ambiguity and obsession, questioning the stories we live and tell, and exploring the unanswered questions and legacies that we leave behind. Innovative, atmospheric and unsettling.'
- Jane Claire Bradley, author of Dear Neighbour

About the Author

Gemma Fairclough is a writer living in Manchester. She has a BA (Hons) in English Literature and a Master’s in Contemporary Literature and Culture from the University of Manchester. She recently completed the Write Like a Grrrl programme and formed a writing group with peers from the course. A range of unsettling influences, including horror films, surrealist art, and folklore inspire her writing, which frequently centres upon experiences of alienation, grief, and aberrant desire. Twitter @GemFairclough

Cover design by Luísa Dias