Book Review
Title: Beartown by Fredrik Backman (Beartown Book 1)
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 4.5 Stars
So I read Anxious People a while ago and really enjoyed it and this book alongside A Man Called Ove gets recommended a lot so I decided to pick it up. The opening to Beartown like Anxious People just sets the scene and introduces us to the characters but we do know everything in the story is leading up to a murder. Beartown is a hockey town but it has been on the decline in recent decades but it seems on the point of a resurgence in the hockey world thanks to two young boys in particular. Also similar to Anxious People there is a large cast of characters and I’m not sure who right now is relevant and who isn’t which is why I haven’t mentioned them yet.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, we get to know the town, its inhabitants especially the people involved with hockey. The people involved with hockey seem to live and breath the sport to their own detriment because the town demands it of them but it seems to be building towards something. Most people assume it is leading to good things but we the readers know that it is leading to a murder that is going to happen in the town. My guess right now is that the murder involved Amat and Kevin since they are both in love with Maya, who is the daughter of the hockey team’s general manager and former professional player, Peter. This is my guess because Kevin and Amat have worked extremely hard to excel in hockey for different reasons. Kevin does it because perfection is expected of him but Amat wants a better life and knows that hockey is the way to do that. Both also have feelings for Maya but Maya seems interested in Kevin and this might be the event that pushes Amat over the edge but I am excited to see where it goes.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, I am getting little confused about where the murder comes in but I know from Anxious People that Backman likes the plot to take a backseat to the character development for most of the book but I am finding myself underwhelmed at the moment. We do get to see the semi-final match and how the town itself reacts to hockey even those that don’t enjoy the sport normally. During the match, things seem to be going well but they can’t get the upper hand on the other team because everyone is aware of who to watch. Eventually David makes the choice as coach to put Amat into the match even though he wasn’t expecting to play at all and ends up presenting the opportunity for Kevin to score the winning goal and stuns everyone in the rink. This solidifies Amat as a member of the team but at the cost of another since Bobo and Lyt were both essentially benched for most of the game. I am also less sure that Amat and Kevin might be the ones involved in the murder since there are more and more people unhappy with the way things are changing.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, the story is beginning to get darker as the after party begins. Benji leaves pretty soon which upsets Kevin and after getting wasted with everyone else he does something unforgiveable. Kevin ends up raping Maya and is caught by Amat who is told by Ana that she is in bed with Kevin. Amat’s appearance gives her the chance to escape but she is deeply traumtised and when she encounters Benji in the woods he knows what Kevin has done. Benji does confront Kevin and try to get him to confess to what he did but he refuses to ending the friendship between the pair and it seems that the friendship between Ana and Maya is going to change and Amat has lost a friend in Zach to but gained one in Bobo. This was a triggering event for me considering how the attack in described and how Maya knows she can never say anything because the town will protect Kevin as their star hockey player. I think my theory is going to right that Kevin is going to end up dead but the question of who could kill him is still undecided but right now it stands at Maya, Amat or Ana but I also wouldn’t put it past Kira or Peter to kill him when they find out what he did to their daughter especially after already losing one child in Isak. I will take a short break from the book to process what has happened and deal with the feelings of horror and grief that it brought up for me personally and I would warn anyone going into it that there is a pretty graphic description and the way people act even knowing what Kevin did is honestly disgusting.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, Maya tries to keep what happened to herself but Ana eventually figures it out when she sees Kevin and he is terrified. She ends up convincing Maya to speak up because she doesn’t want this to happen to another girl in town, one that might be beaten down into submission. After telling her parents, who are destroyed by the news, going to the police station and hospital, Kevin is finally arrested just hours before their final game. The team goes on without Kevin and gives it their best, most playing better than they have in years but it still isn’t enough and they return home defeated. However, when they learn what Kevin has been accused of most of the team support him with the exception of Amat and Benji who know the truth of that night. Kira is going to war uses her experience as a lawyer to get justice for her daughter but her hatred towards Kevin might mean she’s the one who pull the trigger but I still have no idea who is responsible.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, after the news about what happened at the party begins to spread we see the entire town divided between who supports Kevin and who supports Maya. Many more people are protecting Kevin but those protecting Maya are fighting with everything they have and they are willing to go to extremes as Kira and Ana show very clearly. Seeing the effect this has had on Maya and the people she loves was absolutely heart-breaking and I have no idea how Backman is going to end this book since it is the start of a series. That being said we know the things the town wanted like the hockey academy have already been taken away because they don’t want to associated with the event and we see many people silently protesting the town’s treatment of Maya. The way Backman has handled sexual assault and rape is very realistic from the event itself to the court process and the emotional trauma that lingers even years after.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, I wasn’t sure how Backman was going to wrap up the book but I knew it was going to be explosive and we still have a murder to take place. I have to say that Backman definitely knocked it out of the park with this ending and it was everything I wanted and more. We get to see some huge character development and what became of these characters in the future, however, this is the first book in a series so I am excited to see what happened in Us Against You and The Winners. I also appreciated the conversation about sexual assault and rape culture in this book and it was authentic which is typically something I only see from female author. I highly recommend Beartown and Anxious People and one day soon I will get to A Man Called Ove.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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