Beartown
Title: Beartown
Author: Fredrik Backman
Genre: Adult Contemporary Mystery
Rating: Five Stars!
I’m a fan of shifting POVs (point of
views, that is), and I love it when authors experiment and test boundaries. It
could really work in their favor, or, conversely, it could be disastrous.
Fortunately, for Fredrik Backman, his writing style in Beartown was highly successful. Granted, I’ve met some people who
disagree with me on that point—justifiably upset that there were times when you
couldn’t necessarily identify the characters, and while there are several occasions
where the reader may feel a little lost, ultimately, reading through it pays
off in a big way because Beartown is
an amazing book. But, before I dive into my praise, let me share the synopsis…
“Bear Town” Book Synopsis
People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest,
it is slowly losing ground to the ever-encroaching trees. But down by the lake
stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded
this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior
ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they
actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now
rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.
Being responsible for the hopes of
an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for
a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil.
Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident
unaffected.
Beartown explores the hopes
that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the
courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a
small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.
Summer’s Take on “Bear Town”
Beartown
is brilliant! At times, I laughed out loud, while in other instances I cried,
or cringed, or grunted in outrage. It was an emotional rollercoaster that was
well worth the ride and I cannot recommend it enough, especially if you’re a
parent with teenage children. In this book so many themes are explored, and
while I don’t like to give spoilers in my reviews, I will say that the reader
will get an emotional bang for their buck—meaning that it’ll
hold their interest until the very end and it won’t disappoint. So while there
is some debate about Backman’s shifting POVs (and I’ll let you be the final
judge of that), at the end of the day, it’s an amazing read and it’s definitely
worth picking up and trying.
