The Bear and the Nightingale

Vasya has the ability to see spirits – those inhabiting, guarding, and blessing the house where she lives, the forest where she visits, and indeed, the entire world she inhabits. There is the clear sense throughout the novel that Vasya inherited these sensitivities and abilities from her mother. These abilities contribute significantly to Vasya's experience of being an outsider.... isolated. Over the course of the novel, Vasya will come into conflict with earthly forces of similar power, that are manifested most potently in the close-minded, obsessive Konstantin. In the end, Vasya realizes that she must embrace her identity and pursue her destiny.... she must leave her family in order to keep them safe.