Last month, I read Beartown by Fredrik Backman. I read And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman at the end of last year, and I absolutely adored it, so when a book reviewer I like on YouTube recommended this one, I was excited to give it a try. And I was not disappointed. Beartown may be one of my favorites from the whole year so far, and since I’m inching up on the library waiting list for the sequel, I wanted to tell you about it.
Beartown is a dying town in the middle of the forest. The industry has moved away, and they’re slowly losing ground to the trees. Things aren’t developing. Their only hope of survival as a town is their junior hockey team, which is poised to win national semifinals. If they win the national finals, then the hockey league might invest in a school in their town and revitalize everything. But at the after party for the semifinals game, the star hockey player violently rapes the team manager’s fifteen-year-old daughter. We’re not talking about an iffy situation where there’s any question of consent here. It’s violent.
The book is told from the point of view of the town, or rather, all the key townspeople involved in hockey and this particular event, as they deal with the consequences of the rape. The reactions are what you would expect. Half the town villifies the girl, and the other half supports her. But the way this is written, and the focus on the consequences for the town of this one act, is so incredibly well-done.
A quick warning, which you’ve probably figured out, this book is pretty heavy. It deals with rape, and it doesn’t shy away from it. There are some graphic scenes. If that’s a problem, this might not be the book for you.
But this was an absolutely fabulous book. The writing was stellar and vivid and so real. And it dealt with these really difficult issues with sensitivity and realism. Things built up so well, and the tension got so thick it was oppressive. I won’t spoil anything, but the ending was exactly what I wanted it to be. I actually stayed up all night reading this one because once I hit the halfway point of the book, I couldn’t put it down. As I said, this is one of my favorites of 2019 so far, and even though I read it over a month ago, I can’t get it out of my head (in a good way).
The only quibble I have with this book, and only a law student or lawyer would take issue with this, is that it is totally unrealistic for the girl’s mother, who’s an attorney, to be representing her in the case against the hockey player. It just wouldn’t happen. But honestly that’s a small thing and I can ignore it because it lends so many feelings to the story.
Like I said, there is a sequel, and I am really excited to read it, but the book could stand alone quite well (and there’s a distinct possibility that it should. I’ll let you know.).
But really I can’t say enough good things about this book. I never thought I would love a book that is so centered on hockey, but I do. It’s an amazing story, and I feel like everyone should go get a copy and read it. Read it right now.
If you have read Beartown, I would love to know what you thought about it. And if you haven’t, seriously go read it now.