A review by autumntune
Beartown by Fredrik Backman

emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

 
“This town doesn’t always know the difference between right and wrong, I’ll admit that. But we know the difference between good and evil.”


This is my third Fredrik Backman book. Each has been a spectacular ride that my amazement toward this author goes beyond measure. While I believe nothing can top A Man Called Ove as my all-time favorite, Beartown doesn't fall short.

Truth be told, I was having uncertainties to push through the first a hundred pages. I have never been fond of sport in general, let alone hockey. I was unfamiliar with the rules and whatnot. Yet there is zero regret upon finishing a four hundred something pages book of hockey-obsessed people and the town they inhabit.

It would be hard to overlook the ice sport when it could appear as the center of the story, but I promise you, this book offers more than that. You first need to understand that Beartown's denizen regard hockey as the town's chance at survival (in order to expand their job opportunities and promise the future to the younger generations so the town doesn't die out), so you see, the sport's significance is vital. Their views may seem strange for those who don't have hockey as years-long tradition and culture, because these people, they idolize the team, especially the best player the town has ever "produced."

The young boys that play are investments in the eyes of grown-ups. Anything that grants the team's success will be in their best interest. Unfortunately, that comes with a price.

It is said that the club's motto is: community, values, and culture. What does it actually mean? Sune says to David,
"Culture is as much about what we encourage as what we actually permit. That most people don't do what we tell them do. They do what we let them get away with."


Which prompts a question: when one player is accused of a crime, how far would the townspeople go claiming what happens off-ice doesn't concern what's in?

It was so devastating, I cried a couple of times throughout. I will not recover I fear. 
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