Beartown - Fredrik Backman

⭐ 10.0/10

(Originally written by Magdalene)

I first read this book in 2017 and have been trying to convince everybody to read it since then, so when I decided to reread it I was actually kind of nervous. I wasn't sure if it would still live up to the hype I was giving it single-handedly! To my relief it was still great, though of course it was a different experience.

This is still a book that revolves a lot around hockey, and it really tries to make you love it, or at least help you understand why others love it. Beartown is a dying hockey town in Sweden, and a lot is riding on their junior team doing well, because the townspeople are hoping their win will revive the town. The book takes its time at the beginning to show you why and how a sport can matter so much to a person and to a whole town. But then there's a violent act by one of the players, and the book shifts and shows how sports culture can be dangerous and toxic, when "the club goes before anything" and the players are treated like heroes. It's also about toxic masculinity, and protecting your family, and the difficulties of knowing what's right. We see the events and the issues through the eyes of so many different characters, and considering how many POVs you get, the author does an amazing job making you truly understand these characters. And also love them. I would do anything for Maya, Ana, Benji, Amat, or Kira. I read my own copy this time, so now it's all marked up with underlining because there are so many beautiful and insightful lines.

"Culture is as much about what we encourage as what we actually permit. Most people don't do what we tell them to. They do what we let them get away with."