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A review by mosshroomish
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
one of those books that grips you by the soul and doesn't let go until you're bloody and bruised. i cried at least 20 times. beautifully written and horribly heartbreaking and perfectly ended.
edit, now that i've had time to sit with my thoughts and cry them out...
i already knew this author was good, but to see how he creates life in people that don't exist is truly astounding. everyone was written with care and understanding. everyone had realistic and deep relationships. everyone was flawed and absolutely and thoroughly human. everyone made mistakes, everyone had triumphs. everyone believed they were making the best decision they could in their circumstances, and you're forced to sit with some uncomfortable realizations that you might've done the same because you're also human. this is a book i finished in one sitting because i could not put it down. this is a book that will stick with me forever. this is a book i will recommend to everyone i know. i will probably buy a copy and reread it multiple times.
in some more nitty gritty aspects:
some people find it hard to follow the multiple POV, but i felt that because every single character was so completely fleshed out, it wasn't as difficult.
i'm also a sucker for repetition, especially lines that stay nearly identical but hit in different ways the further you progress. the author does an amazing job of placing these lines in just the right spot to sucker punch you dead.
the author has a prose-poem style of writing, if that's the sort of thing you're into as well (i definitely am). the words he weaves create an incredible tapestry that seemed to just flow directly into my brain.
all in all, this was an incredible book about community, sports, and childhood, and how they all come together in different ways to create separate individuals.
edit, now that i've had time to sit with my thoughts and cry them out...
i already knew this author was good, but to see how he creates life in people that don't exist is truly astounding. everyone was written with care and understanding. everyone had realistic and deep relationships. everyone was flawed and absolutely and thoroughly human. everyone made mistakes, everyone had triumphs. everyone believed they were making the best decision they could in their circumstances, and you're forced to sit with some uncomfortable realizations that you might've done the same because you're also human. this is a book i finished in one sitting because i could not put it down. this is a book that will stick with me forever. this is a book i will recommend to everyone i know. i will probably buy a copy and reread it multiple times.
in some more nitty gritty aspects:
some people find it hard to follow the multiple POV, but i felt that because every single character was so completely fleshed out, it wasn't as difficult.
i'm also a sucker for repetition, especially lines that stay nearly identical but hit in different ways the further you progress. the author does an amazing job of placing these lines in just the right spot to sucker punch you dead.
the author has a prose-poem style of writing, if that's the sort of thing you're into as well (i definitely am). the words he weaves create an incredible tapestry that seemed to just flow directly into my brain.
all in all, this was an incredible book about community, sports, and childhood, and how they all come together in different ways to create separate individuals.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, and Rape
Minor: Child abuse and Suicide