Published by Simon and Schuster
Genre- Fiction, Contemporary
Blurb: People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.
Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.
“The only thing the sport gives us are moments. But what the hell is life, Peter, apart from moments?”
– Fredrik Backman, Beartown
Frederik Backman’s world-building is what I love the most about his books. The way he seamlessly goes from one character to another, young or old, delving into their histories and the subtle connections they have with each other and the place. In Beartown especially, the town was a character on its own. The visual imagery of Beartown was also a treat- the ice, the forest and the darkness.
“When the sun rises above the lake, when the mornings are so cold that the oxygen itself is crisp, when the trees seem to bow respectfully over the ice in order to let as much light as possible reach the children playing on it, then you can’t help wondering how anyone could choose to live in places where all you can see are concrete and buildings.”
The story starts the day before the town’s junior hockey team’s semi-final match, with the whole town abuzz and looking forward to the match. “How important can something like that be? In most places, not so important, of course. But Beartown isn’t most places.”
I’ll be honest, the beginning of the book felt like too much hockey to me. But Beartown is a hockey town and the book ends up being about much more than hockey as the story progresses. From anger to sorrow to excitement, Beartown made me feel everything.
And the quotes, so much wisdom packed in one book and done so excellently. If I started highlighting them all, I would end up coloring half the book.
The foreshadowing and the suspense building, all throughout the book were brilliant. I couldn’t wait to reach the parts where I would understand what it was referring to. Beartown should come with a trigger warning though. The themes it deals with are also darker than in Backman’s other works.
If you like Fredrik Backman’s other books, you will definitely love Beartown.
My Rating:
Cheers,
knittedpages.com 
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