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4.37 AVERAGE
4.37 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
A town whose whole being centers on hockey and developing players who will become famous and put the town on the map. When something puts that dream in jeopardy, the people in the town start to pick sides and everyone is impacted … This book is so beautifully written, it’s easy to get wrapped up in each person, their history, the part they play, the emotions they feel, the actions they take … Good read!
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"For the perpetrator, rape lasts just a matter of minutes. For the victim, it never stops."
I was blown away. I cried 12 times. Beartown the hockey town was suffocating, yet there were glimpses of moments that perhaps there was still hope. It's infuriating and touching and sad.
Fredrik Backman has such a deep understanding on people that the male, female, old, and young POVs sound so human. The first 40% was slow because he took his time to introduce the dynamics between the characters and the small community, but the build-up was paid off by how careful the rape was handled. It didn't feel sensationalised, instead the response—or the lack of it because being silent is safer than standing up for the victim when the rapist hasn't been convicted, right?—was brutally realistic.
I don't have the words to explain how well-written this is, but everyone should read this at least once. It opens the discussion on how a rape victim is perceived and blamed, how quickly it turns into a he-said-she-said situation, how a teenage guy who does it is just called a "young boy" while the same-aged girl is called a "woman grown enough to know better", how taking a neutral stance can be just as harmful as attacking the victim, and how misogynistic, homophobic locker room jokes are not just jokes.
I was blown away. I cried 12 times. Beartown the hockey town was suffocating, yet there were glimpses of moments that perhaps there was still hope. It's infuriating and touching and sad.
Fredrik Backman has such a deep understanding on people that the male, female, old, and young POVs sound so human. The first 40% was slow because he took his time to introduce the dynamics between the characters and the small community, but the build-up was paid off by how careful the rape was handled. It didn't feel sensationalised, instead the response—or the lack of it because being silent is safer than standing up for the victim when the rapist hasn't been convicted, right?—was brutally realistic.
I don't have the words to explain how well-written this is, but everyone should read this at least once. It opens the discussion on how a rape victim is perceived and blamed, how quickly it turns into a he-said-she-said situation, how a teenage guy who does it is just called a "young boy" while the same-aged girl is called a "woman grown enough to know better", how taking a neutral stance can be just as harmful as attacking the victim, and how misogynistic, homophobic locker room jokes are not just jokes.
A lot of reviewers here are right in saying this story is a bit of a departure from Backman's other books, but the quality remains!
This novel is layered and emotionally intelligent. It's about hockey and yet it is a beautiful story to read even you care nothing or know nothing about the sport.
This novel is layered and emotionally intelligent. It's about hockey and yet it is a beautiful story to read even you care nothing or know nothing about the sport.
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
Writing style was very choppy. Too many characters without smooth transitions between POVs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
dark
emotional
inspiring
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Violence
Minor: Xenophobia
Honestly, I think that everyone that ever coaches high schoolers should have to read this book. It is so much more than just about a hockey team but everything else that amounts to being on a team. There is so much to learn and take away from this book I could not recommend it more.
The number of emotions that I felt reading this book is insane, so insane that I was crying in the gym (literally on the elliptical) while I read it. The idea of community and culture and the questions that it makes you ask yourself are ones that can inspire thoughtful discussions.
10/10.
The number of emotions that I felt reading this book is insane, so insane that I was crying in the gym (literally on the elliptical) while I read it. The idea of community and culture and the questions that it makes you ask yourself are ones that can inspire thoughtful discussions.
10/10.