Review: The Bearcat by Georgia Rose Phillips

I requested a review copy of The Bearcat thinking it was a story based on the infamous Australian cult The Family. I am fascinated by the premise of a cult. How do they draw people in, brainwash them? However The Bearcat wasn't about The Family per se but about the life of Anne Hamilton-Byrne, the yoga teacher who became the leader of The Family.

 

Inspired by real events however the author has used creative license and prioritised narrative over history to enhance the story.

"The cult started with Anne's women, her chosen ones; them finding each other between the crevices of their private worlds. It started with a loose constellation of bodies scattered across a modest community hall."

 

Georgia Ros Phillips prose are lyrical painting a distinct picture of the setting and atmosphere throughout the book.

 

The story opens in 1987 with ex-members of the cult talking to a detective. The narrative then goes back to 1921 when Evelyn/Anne is born. She cried a lot and her mother, Florence, found it hard to connect with this demanding, screaming baby.

 

The Bearcat explores the idea of nurture versus nature. Was Anne's actions the result of her upbringing or was she predestined to be the charismatic and manipulative leader of women?

We get a picture of a difficult child brought up by a mother with mental health issues and an indifferent father. Anne wasn't so much neglected, as forgotten. 

I did think it strange that there is only a brief mention of Anne's six younger siblings. Having them taken away may have triggered her desire to collect children. 

 

The book jumps around a lot in time, back and forward over a seventy year period. I found it very hard to connect with the story as it kept moving back and forward in time with no real sense of connection.

 

The story delves deep into the characters' feelings. How they feel about each other, how they feel about their current situation in life and their hopes and dreams.

 

Georgia Rose Phillips takes the reader behind everyday activities to relish in the lights, sounds  and movements that surround us.  

 

Whilst I found The Bearcat intriguing it didn't really hit the mark. I would recommend it to readers of literary fiction, anyone interested in the psychology of man and those who like to immerse themselves in lyrical prose.

 

My rating 3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher: Picador

Publication date: 29th April 2025

Genre: Literary Fiction / Historical

Pages: 320

RRP: AU$34.99 (paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher