Review: Beartown

Beartown by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is certainly a departure from Backman's other novels, but it still has the hallmarks that make his writing so wonderful. Beartown lacks much of the humor that is typically infused throughout his storylines, but it is still a beautifully written novel. The way that Backman weaves together such intricately developed characters and storylines is truly masterful. Just when I thought I figured out where the story was going, Backman threw in another twist and took the story in a different direction.

Even if you are not a hockey and/or sports fan, this book is worth the read. While Beartown is a hockey town, the novel is less about hockey and more about community, family, and relationships. It explores the meaning of community, the privileges of belonging to a community, the disadvantages or struggles when you don't fit in, and the responses people have when their communities are threatened by both inside and outside forces.

This novel was beautifully written and I was able to lose myself in Backman's masterful story telling, which is all I really ask of a good book...the chance to escape reality and step into a different world. The pages of this book are worth steping into.

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