Book Review: Beartown by Fredrik Backman

Beartown by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hockey, not something I know a lot about, teens, however, I do and this book is a powerful look at how a community puts all its hopes and dreams onto a group of a young teens and how a very bad decision can force people to forgo their morality for the sake of winning a championship. Backman writes a very powerful novel that is both timely and relevant with a cast of characters that are both complex and stereotypical. I especially enjoyed the power of Backman's ability to tell this story through the eyes of various characters as he created deeply flawed people that you come away feeling like you know them personally. While some may have difficulty following the story at times, it allows the reader to stay immersed in the story. My only criticism is that the foreshadowing was annoying at times and did produce an occasional eye-roll when it got redundant. I highly recommend this book and I hope that teens will read this and reflect on the deep lessons to be learned about friendship, bravery, family, and doing the right thing.

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