A special thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.This book is so much more than hockey. What starts off as a story about a small village and their hockey team takes an unexpected turn in both character descension and storyline. Backman exposes the small town mentality of its residents and walks a fine line with his characterization of "crazy hockey parents" that are almost too stereotypical, but because his story is compelling, he gets away with it.
Beartown is universal in topic and appeal—sexism, homophobia, racism, and politics are issues prevalent in every town, anywhere. In Beartown, as the underdogs that represent a community built on hockey, residents are willing to do whatever it takes to make their mark. This includes covering up a terrible crime against a young girl. The mentality is staggering and mind-blowing. It is all too familiar where the victim is the one being bullied, threatened, and emotionally abused. How society hails sports figures as heroes, putting them on a pedestal so that they are untouchable, and not holding them accountable for their actions.
Backman explores hope, perseverance, and the love of sport. He juxtaposes it against the crippling burden of being the best and doing whatever it takes, no matter how high the price and at what cost.
FREDRIK BACKMAN is a blogger and columnist as well as the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry.
Backman lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children.
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