Fredrik Backman’s Beartown is an emotional rollercoaster. Beartown is a small town with freezing weather throughout the year, and no tourism or businesses to boast of. There is one thing that keeps it alive; sport. The town’s hockey-obsessed residents have high expectations riding on the shoulders of the junior ice hockey team. The team’s wins will herald in investments and infuse new lifeblood into the dying town.
The hockey team’s semifinal win brings in much cheer. In the after-party, when the star player, Kevin, assaults Maya, the teenage daughter of the team’s manager, a moral drama of all sorts unfolds. If convicted, Kevin would have to be dropped, and without him, Beartown can’t win the finals.
The town is divided, and Maya faces shaming and skepticism. Why did she lead Kevin on? Why did she drink? Why didn’t she complain earlier? Is she making this up for attention? The book raises a pertinent question – in the face of a moral crisis, which side would you take? Would you proceed with sensitivity before reaching any judgment, or would you blindly choose the side that benefitted you?
The writing is raw and passionate. The first half is slow-paced and focuses on building the world of Beartown and is sports-terms-heavy. The second half brings out the characters and who these people truly are. If there is one scene that stands out it is this: One of the sponsors adopts an ambivalent stance. One day, he hears his young son taunt his elder sister with a slur. That’s when it hits him, and the reader as well.
The author talks about many things in his metaphorical, lyrical style- the misogyny, the chauvinism, the locker-room talks, the lack of opportunities in sports for women, racism, and the power of sisterhood. Some of the prose is repetitive but it creates the effect of emphasis. It’s impossible to forget these characters- Benji the rebel with a golden heart, Fatima the immigrant mother, Amat her hockey-prodigy son, David, Sune, Ramona, Maya, Kira, Peter…the list goes on.
There are many lines that stay with you.
It’s only a game. It resolves tiny, insignificant things. Such as who gets validation, who gets listened to.
Never trust people who don’t have something in their lives they love beyond all reason.
Religion doesn’t fight, guns don’t kill, and you need to be clear that hockey has never rap*d anyone. But do you know who does?
What is a community? It is the sum total of our choices.
When enough people are quiet for long enough, a handful of voices can give the impression everyone is screaming.
Pick this book up. It is lengthy but worth reading, with two sequels that take the story forward.
Warning: The book is triggering and makes you uncomfortable and angry, which is probably the need of the hour given the recent acts of violence against women.
