A review by __olivia__
Beartown by Fredrik Backman

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

I- woah. Who knew a book about hockey could hurt me this much. Some of the book was so upsetting that I wanted to stop reading, but I just couldn't; I was captivated. Even if you're like me (uninterested in hockey, small towns, contemporary setting), you'll somehow like this book. I don't know what type of magic white powder Fredrik Backman is lacing his books with, but I'm here for it. I'm still trying to process everything that happened, and how I feel about it, but I'll try my best to put my sentiments into coherent sentences.

The small town setting makes it possible for every single character to be linked in some way, and somehow every single character is so flawed, and so real. I truly felt like I knew these characters personally because of details revealing their character and history that Backman chose to include. Every single one of them is their own, unique being, with their own motivations, hopes, and dreams. Also, his writing style is unlike anything I've ever seen - it somehow uses extensive analogies to create an idea while still being very blunt and very straightforward. 

It just feels so weird to adore something that wouldn't appeal to you at all on paper. I feels even more strange to rate a book five stars that made me feel so angry and disgusted, but here we are. 
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