While the story is dark at times, love, sacrifice, and the bonds of friendship and family shine through ultimately offering hope and even redemption.” “Lest readers think hockey is the star here, it’s Backman’s rich characters that steal the show, and his deft handling of tragedy and its effects on an insular town. A thoroughly empathetic examination of the fragile human spirit, Backman's latest will resonate a long time.” There are scenes that bring tears, scenes of gut-wrenching despair, and moments of sly humor.Like Friday Night Lights, this is about more than youth sports it's part coming-of-age novel, part study of moral failure, and finally a chronicle of groupthink in which an unlikely hero steps forward to save more than one person from self-destruction. “Backman is a masterful writer, his characters familiar yet distinct, flawed yet heroic. 'Compelling characters and a wrenching story, beautifully told.' In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world. This is a story about a town and a game, but even more about loyalty, commitment, and the responsibilities of friendship the people we disappoint even though we love them and the decisions we make every day that come to define us. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown. Under that heavy burden, the match becomes the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys. Named a Best Book of the Year by LibraryReads, BookBrowse, and Goodreadsįrom the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anxious People, a dazzling and profound novel about a small town with a big dream-and the price required to make it come true.īy the lake in Beartown is an old ice rink, and in that ice rink Kevin, Amat, Benji, and the rest of the town’s junior ice hockey team are about to compete in the national semi-finals-and they actually have a shot at winning. “You’ll love this engrossing novel.” - People

Beartown book 2