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A review by sphynxreads
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is my third Backman read, and by all counts, I have to say that this has to be my favorite. This is Backman at his finest, from the immaculate writing to the exceptional character work. I have to admit that I struggled a bit at the beginning to keep track of the cast of characters as the POVs switch quite often, but as the characters grew more distinct as I got to know them, I soon got the hang of things.
Beartown is a tale that is probably more harrowing than it is hopeful. And yet it drips with so much empathy for the lot of humanity that as you read, you begin to understand that the best and the vilest of people you will ever know have so much depth to them. You may hate them or love them deeply and deservedly so, but underneath all of what you are able to see is so much more nuance than you will ever come to learn. The fact that Backman so masterfully accomplishes pointing this out while being firm in what he deems right and wrong within the span of a single novel is no small feat.
I could write pages of endless praise for this book, especially given how effectively Backman uses various literary devices to drive home his layered messages, but to do so feels almost irreverent given how simple and somber of a read this is. But I will say this, while reading in general helps many people develop empathy, it is stories like this that strike a chord in their readers' hearts that enables it.
Beartown is a tale that is probably more harrowing than it is hopeful. And yet it drips with so much empathy for the lot of humanity that as you read, you begin to understand that the best and the vilest of people you will ever know have so much depth to them. You may hate them or love them deeply and deservedly so, but underneath all of what you are able to see is so much more nuance than you will ever come to learn. The fact that Backman so masterfully accomplishes pointing this out while being firm in what he deems right and wrong within the span of a single novel is no small feat.
I could write pages of endless praise for this book, especially given how effectively Backman uses various literary devices to drive home his layered messages, but to do so feels almost irreverent given how simple and somber of a read this is. But I will say this, while reading in general helps many people develop empathy, it is stories like this that strike a chord in their readers' hearts that enables it.