A review by kmsander4
Beartown by Fredrik Backman

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Fredrik Backman's stories do something to me. They rip my heart out and slowly piece it back together but never quite put it back in the exact same place as it began. With each new chapter I read, I am changed. And Beartown was no different.

This town, these people, this story, I know it. I've lived pieces of it and some of it I've even longed for. I've loved the game of hockey for as long as I can remember and I spend days and nights and weekends in freezing cold arenas, cheering until I went hoarse as boys raced around the ice.

I've seen the incredible things sport can do for a small town, and I've seen the kind of monsters the game can hide as well. Backman does such an unbelievably phenomenal job of capturing all of the depth that needs to be shown to properly tell this story, and he does it with a deft, gentle hand.

I could gush forever but all I will say is that it is a must read. For everyone. I can almost guarantee that something inside you will shift.
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