Super Short Summary

Memoirs of a Polar Bear by Yoko Tawada follows three generations of polar bears navigating human society. The novel explores the lives of an autobiographical bear in Soviet Russia, her circus performer daughter Tosca, and Tosca's famous zoo-bound son Knut, while blurring lines between animal abilities and human traits in a magical realism style, highlighting themes of isolation and belonging. The narrative includes scenes of animal abandonment.