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bookishgoob 's review for:

Beartown by Fredrik Backman
5.0
emotional sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

“One evening in late March, a teenager walks into the forest, puts a shotgun to another teenager’s forehead, and pulls the trigger.

I don’t even know where to begin with this book. Before I read the authors note, I had so many feelings about a man writing a story about the rape of a young girl, but after reading the authors note, I found out he did his research and handled it as sensitively as he could. This whole book tore me apart. As a woman I felt deeply for the victim, but as a victim myself, I felt even more connected to the victim. This whole book is a trigger warning. The assault happens in chapter 21 and everything from there is a lot of victim blaming, and it really shows the toxic culture of victim blaming and rape culture. I want to go more in detail but it was honestly just a beautifully written but triggering book. I think I will come back to this review at a later time to get my thoughts fully written out. 

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