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"Their coach teaches them to go hard into close combat on the ice. No one stops to think about how to switch that attitude off when they leave the locker room. It's easier to pin the blame on her: She's too young. Too attractive. Too easily offended. Too difficult to respect."
"Why Maya's word wasn't enough."
An infuriating book about loyalty and integrity.
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Blood
This book is also insanely sad. It is heart-wrenchingly devastating in a way that makes you feel this old, deep misery in your stomach. I felt genuine pain reading this and also thinking about it. I had to put it down sometimes not just because it's heavy (I've read much heavier books), but because every character is going through so much pain. Every person in the community whether you like them or not, is going through their own story and their own pain.
It's a book about hockey.
But it is not about hockey.
I don't play hockey. I have never seen a hockey game. But it doesn't matter, because the characters love hockey. It is what brings them together and that is what you can connect to.
This book is filled with so much love and sadness and hope and grief and pain, generally just so much emotion that it's hard to read sometimes from all the feeling Backman makes you do.
My favorite characters are Benji (boy with the sad eyes and the wild heart), Kira (the mother wolf), Peter, Maya, Ana, Romona and Amat. I don't know if David is the best character or the worst one.
The biggest tragedy is that in the first act Backman builds up all the pride and hope the town has for Kevin, that you start to feel that he's your hero too. So when the
Last of all the writing is insanely gorgeous, simple at times but with lines that take your breath away.
I did cry.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Sexual harassment
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Vomit, Medical content, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Child death, Grief
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Fredrik Backman is a brilliant writer, and my only regret after finishing this book is that I didn't pick it up eight years ago when it was first published. This book very much felt like if Backman finished watching all five seasons of Friday Night Lights and then chose to write FNL fan fiction set in the world of competitive junior hockey. And while that may sound a little derivative, FNL is one of my favorite shows of all time, and if I could have chosen anyone to write a book with similar themes, characters, and even conflicts, I probably would have chosen Backman.
For those who have read his other popular works, especially Ove and Anxious People, just know that this book is thematically darker. The entire book revolves around the rape of a young girl by a rising hockey superstar and the events that follow. I'm not sure how I feel about a man writing about the feelings and experiences of a young girl who has survived sexual assault (not great, I think), but I do feel that Backman consistently tries to approach his writing with empathy and intentionality.
My favorite part of the book (and my favorite part of Backman's writing, in general) is the way he is able to create an entire town of characters, create distinct personalities for these characters, and then show the different ways these characters interact with each other in different contexts. I was so invested in these characters' stories, particularly Benji, Amat, and Maya, and I'm looking forward to reading the next books in the trilogy.
I also highly recommend listening to this one on audiobook, as Marin Ireland is a brilliant narrator who has never failed to captivate me with her storytelling.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Drug use, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief
Graphic: Child death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug use, Homophobia, Grief, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Grief
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Gun violence, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Blood, Pregnancy, Alcohol