Summer Reading: Beartown by Fredrik Backman

As is normally the case in the summer, requests for book recommendations are all around.  This is my answer to all of those that have come my way.  This is one of the books I’ve read recently that jumped kicking and screaming on to my favourites of all time lists.  *That’s favourites in terms of poignancy and making a mark on my soul – this is no Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.

They say that fictional stories help us make sense of the world and this helped me make sense of things, well, that don’t really make sense.  I’d love to see a time-lapse video of my face whilst reading this book. I can remember lip wobbles, looking away in anger and disbelief, doing that “ahh” face you do when someone impresses you so much (you know the one?).  I held my breath at times.  I wanted to scream in people’s faces at others.  I wanted to hug. I cried.  I shouted YES as many times as I hung my head and whispered, sadly, no. 

Anyway, let me telly you a bit about Beartown.  Firstly, spoiler alert, I noted before reading that the significant event on which the whole book is based on, was only alluded to on the cover etc.  I’ve spent a long time considering whether not knowing that affected my reading experience.  I don’t however think I can really talk about this book without talking about it.  So please be aware, 4 paragraphs down, I reference “the thing”.

In summary, this book is about a small, rural town in decline.  I currently live in America and all cultural references, other than the currency of Krone, aligned with my assumption it was set here.  I’ve since read that the author set it in Sweden.  Whilst the location specifically isn’t relevant in a “this could be anywhere” sense, I think the American filter is especially poignant and I’ll come on to that.

The one thing however that is bringing survival potential to the town is Ice Hockey.  And that’s where the author sets out stakes.  The story starts when the junior team are doing especially well and are about to compete in an important semi final.  This has big implications for the town’s longer-term prosperity and all around morale.

The reader is introduced to many characters.  Some reviews I’ve read have cited this as an issue, but I found every character to be compelling and relevant.  As you move through the book you start to move the character pieces into good guys and bad, with a kind of Venn diagram centre section of those that could go either way (and many do).

For a third of the book you build up to “the thing that happens”, learning about all the vested interests are in the out comes of these games.

And so, here it is.  A girl is raped.  This is in circumstances where star players have been lead to believe they deserve and so should have anything they want.  The circumstances are media familiar; there’s a girl who has been drinking. She liked the boy.  It’s his word against hers.  And then, for the rest of the book you live the aftermath.

This is an aftermath that could go many different ways based on the moves of the players and for me it becomes about good and bad, right and wrong, bravery and cowardice and strength and weakness.  But, and here is the thing; it shows just how hard it can be to do the right thing, but also why we should and ultimately why we must.

The easiest way to unite a group isn’t through love, because love is hard, It makes demands. Hate is simple.

? Fredrik Backman, Beartown

This book shows how easy it is to say or do nothing and why so often humans do say and do nothing.  This book shows you amazing strength from the victim. It shows you they type of best friend all girls need and who I very much hope my daughter finds.  It gives you many characters you would want on your team any day of the week and many you will hope never to meet.

This book made me want to be better, to call out the bad stuff and stand up for the underdog even if that might be the hardest thing.

The final thing I wanted to say is this.  On the biggest stage in the world today we have people in positions of ultimate power, delivering locker room banter to a global audience.  Power and status means you can grab whatever you want right?  Beartown shines a light on what that meant for a girl in a small fictitious town. I guess I’ll just leave that there.

Here’s to the good guys.

Final, final, this author also wrote A Man Called Ove.  That’s the smallest reason why I think you should read this book.