Beartown

by Fredrik Backman
418 pgs  (Beartown series #1)

Beartown is a story about a small Swedish town and its love for the sport of hockey. Most of its residents seemingly live or die according to whether its local junior team, The Beartown Ice Hockey Club, wins or loses. And this year, they have a really good team, mostly due to their star player, Kevin, the son of the wealthiest family in town, who by all accounts, is destined to play in the NHL within a few years.

But Kevin's future, and that of the hockey club itself, are all put in jeopardy, when one night, during a victory party, Kevin sexually assaults Maya, the daughter of the club's general manager. Maya tells her parents what happened a week later, and it's then that the true nature of the town and its residents is exposed. Many of them are quick to blame Maya for what took place, refusing to believe their star player could be capable of what she's accused him of doing.

I found a lot to like with Beartown. It's about much more than just hockey (although I would have been fine with it if that had been all it ended up being about). Backman offers a great profile of small town mentality, and the culture of youth sports today, and he does it through a great story with strong, relatable characters.

I've enjoyed each of teh books Backman has written so far, and Beartown is a great example of why. I'm excited to read its follow-up, Us Against You, to find out what becomes of Beartown, the hockey players, and the rest of the characters Backman has created.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆