Beartown

Beartown by Fredrik Bachman

This was not an easy or pleasant book but a necessary one, in my opinion.

I love books that make me laugh or cry but this book made me angry. I don’t think anger has ever motivated me with a book, but this one did. The important thing, it made me feel something real.

It’s not just a sport when it destroys a town.

Set ins a small community called Beartown, this story chronicles the whole town’s need for significance and recognition through hockey. A group of young men, including Amat, Benji, and Kevin are hopeful in competing in the National Semi-Finals. The hopes of the whole town rest on these young men. As the boys successfully head toward the big game, they get bolder and over confident, cocky even. Their success is a catalyst of an act of violence that traumatizes a young girl and throws a chasm in the town that changes forever.

This story celebrates loyalty, commitment, and friendship while showcasing a failure in society when decisions and accountability are shadowed by the desire for notoriety and winning.

I struggled reading this one because it is character driven and more than half the book is just hockey talk. I honestly don’t know or care much for hockey but I love a good story. This story covers important issues and evokes strong emotions. It made me angry with some characters and I cried for others, that is a great story. Bachman is masterful. I am glad that I made myself pick this one up and finish reading it! 4/5⭐