A review by lindseyas
Beartown by Fredrik Backman

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This is truly one of the more emotional books that I've read in recent memory. The story of a small town, its hockey team and its supporters started with a bang (figuratively and literally), keeping you on your toes and waiting for the moment that Backman reflects on in the early pages. This was just emotionally devastating, some of the characters so morally stunted that you couldn't help but despise them, some of them so forlorn and lost that you couldn't help but want to help them. In this town where hockey is larger than life and the boys that lead the team to victory are worshipped like gods, the epidemic of toxic masculinity is alive and well — boys and men are given a platform to be, well, boys and men, all without the need to face the consequences. It is the burden of women, whether they be sisters or daughters, mothers or bartenders, friends or teachers, to beat them at their own game, to speak out against injustice and support one another in times of needs — be a shoulder to lean on, but also the person to provide the shotgun (or shot). A tale of female friendship, fatherhood, masculinity, team spirit, the smallnesses of the "small town" and what it takes to do the right thing, this book equally made me cry (a big effort for me) and made me feel hopeful. It wasn't a happy ending for everyone — justice wasn't served —, but that's what made it so realistic. That's the effect of the patriarchy.
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