This is a book about how a town (or society) treats someone who comes forward about a rape, and what happens when the rapist is a star athlete. Now here’s where I’m going to get a bit spoiler-y: I’m just going to spoil what that “violent act” is that is mentioned in the synopsis, as I wish I would’ve known what that was going in to the book. The book also reminded me of a Jodi Picoult book at times, as the story felt like one that she’d tackle in one of her books. I felt a sense of here’s where episode five would end, or here there’d be a fade to black, or here’s a flashback to show more of a character’s back story. Where I thought Beartown felt different from Backman’s other works was that it felt like I was reading the script, or the book, based on a television show. The characters truly shine in Backman’s books, and Beartown is no exception. Characters that are neither good nor evil, but just are, and ones we root for, and ones we despise. Like Backman’s other books, we, the readers, are treated to fully fleshed out, well written characters. I love Backman’s work, specifically A Man Called Ove and Britt-Marie Was Here, but I’d heard that Beartown was completely different. Beartown by Fredrik Backman, is a book that I’d heard a lot about. Review: Strong and powerful, with well-written characters, but overly repetitive and heavy handed at times. Do not read this review if you don’t want to know anything beyond what the synopsis tells you! *** ***There will be SPOILERS in this review. *** this post contains affiliate links *** My Copy Came From: I purchased the paperback at a Walmart in Colorado Springs. Setting: Beartown, a small town in Sweden In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.īeartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.īeing responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town.

A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. Official Synopsis from Goodreads: The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove returns with a dazzling, profound novel about a small town with a big dream-and the price required to make it come true.

Sequel to beartown by fredrik backman