A review by acebookwyrm
Beartown by Fredrik Backman

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I love the first sentence of this book. The way it spoils something that doesn’t happen till the end but also tells you nothing with how carefully selected the words are. “A TEENAGER picked up a double-barrel shotgun…put the gun to SOMEONE ELSE’S forehead, and pulled the trigger.” No gender disclosed for either, no age given to the person shot. Not even a clarification for if that person was Actually shot! Throughout the book, Backman drops several references related to gunshots, killing, and shooting someone as a comparison or metaphor. It even begins with “Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.”
 
Backman is fantastic at writing complex characters, particularly women, with full lives. The part in Ch 44 where Kevin's mom talks to Benji, then Maya, is one of the best scenes in the book.
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