Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - Kleine Stadt der großen Träume

Reading this book made me feel physically sick. My face the entire time: ☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️

It's certainly a well-written (and, dare I say, all too realistic) commentary on toxic masculinity, patriarchy, and misogyny. Although I knew that going in, I guess I didn't know the extent to which these pages would detail the numerous ways to hurt & hate all sorts of people, including but not limited to women. This is so far removed from everything else I've read from Backman – usually his are stories that make me cry, but ultimately have some uplifting or poignant through line. This was not that, and I'd be lying if I said I had a good time reading it.

I appreciate what the author was doing and commenting on. His ability to create a wide cast of characters which each felt incredibly round and substantial is more than commendable. The noxious culture of this remote hockey town pollutes everything and everyone it touches, and it was great to see the town become a character of its own in a sense. I didn't enjoy my experience not because it's a poorly-written book or anything like that, but because it felt like being punched over and over and over and over again with no reprieve. I'm sure that's partly what Backman wanted when he chose to tackle this subject in this manner. In its own way, it's rather effective. It mirrors what living through misogyny is really like: unrelenting ignorance with no end in sight. But I didn't relish spending my free time in such a hostile environment not unlike what I've actually experienced, and although it made it more realistic of an ending (sadly),

when the rape charges were dropped and there was not even a little growth on behalf of the players or the town, merely a relocation of the same poisonous spirit? Well... cue the ☹️.

For my own sanity, I will not continue the series.

All of that to say: my feelings about Beartown are complicated. The writing & craft of it? The author's intent to write a book about toxic masculinity, patriarchy, and misogyny? Easily in the 4-5 star range. My enjoyment? Considerably less so. Boiled down, it's about misaligned expectations and the style of the concept's execution not working for me. I'm glad it has resonated with so many others, but I am unfortunately not in their number.

Content Warnings

prairieraven's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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twistykris's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

"What an uncomfortable, terrible source of shame it is for the world that the victim is so often the one left with the most empathy for others."

What an absolutely heartbreaking read. This book is about hockey, but it's also about people and how they react to terrible events that shape their town. So many moments left me with a deep ache in my heart. Both for the terrible event itself, but also for the way the town (children, and adult men and women) reacts. It's all too familiar as a woman growing up in this world; we are the victims, and yet we are to blame.

"She already knew that the world is a cruel place for a girl. Her parents couldn't imagine that this could happen, but Maya simply hasn't expected it to happen to her."

'Fucking men ! YOU'RE the problem! Religion doesn't fight, guns don't kill, and you need to be very fucking clear that hockey has never raped anyone! But do you know who do ? Fight and kill and rape? [...] MEN ! It's always fucking men!"

Like some, I found the beginning to be rather slow. There was a lot of character establishment and exposition of the town politics and overall setting the scene, but future readers: do not be put off by it. It's important information and besides, it's beautifully written. Backman does a fantastic job of telling a story using repetition, foreshadowing, and switching POVs, to show each character's story leading up to and following the tragic event.

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jenmcreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book feels like a quiet scream, and it will certainly be sticking with me for a while. I think that Fredrik Backman's third-person omniscient narration which jumps from person to person regularly was uniquely well suited to this exploration of not just one incident of rape but of rape culture and the way the entire town is complicit in the difficulties the victim faces seeking justice. The characters in this felt very real, and Backman did an excellent job shading their conflicting motivations and morals. It is rare to find such a large cast each so individually compelling. I listened to the audiobook which I found to be excellently narrated. I look forward to the rest of the trilogy.

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