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Fredrik Backmans

Beartown

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First Published in the United States of America 2017

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Introducing Beartown

B EARTOWN IS THE LATEST OF SWEDISH WRITER FREDRIK BACKMANS novels that have gained the admiration of readers worldwide for his engaging storytelling style. Known for the bestselling debut novel A Man Called Ove which hit the New York Times bestseller list in 2015 and remaining there for 42 weeks, Backman has created a following since then with other equally highly-praised novels. My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You Shes Sorry followed Ove , and after that Britt-Marie Was Here. While the past three novels have protagonists who are quirky but endearing, Beartown is a departure from this signature Backman style. The author expands his depth and range as he tackles the dark issues involved in sports fanaticism gone overboard.

Beartown is a town threatened with extinction as its economy suffers stagnation and the forest slowly creeps in to reclaim abandoned houses left by former residents who leave town in search of better opportunities. The townspeople have one thing going for them thoughice hockey. Every boy in town is trained to play the game as early as possible. In the past, the town produced hockey players who went on to play for the NHL . Peter Andersson is one of them, but he is retired now due to an injury, and has returned to Beartown with his wife and two kids to become the general manager for the junior team. If Beartown is to rise from its stagnation, it is hockey that will do it and Peter will help make this happen. Kira, Peters wife is a mother and a lawyer who chooses to work while being a mother to their children. She is not a typical mother, at least not to Beartown residents who are not used to seeing a mother who works outside the home. Maya, their 15-year-old daughter, does not share Peters passion for sports; she prefers playing the guitar. She however understands her father when he starts talking about hockey.

The junior team has managed to reach the semifinals. Seventeen year-old Kevin is one of the finest players Beartown has ever seen. He leads the team that will bring honor to Beartown and along with it, economic opportunities that will revive the town. Much depends on Kevin and his teammates, particularly Benji who acts as Kevins supporting player so the star player could perform his winning moves. On the night after a game, Kevin assaults Maya. The town is thrown into chaos as many rally around their hockey star. Peter and his family find themselves besieged as they try to bring justice for Maya.

Backman divides the novel into the past and the present. The present shows the townspeople dealing with the repercussions of what happened in the past. The story has ten major characters whom Backman provides in-depth portrayal even as they tell their perspective of the events happening in Beartown. What results are layers and layers of stories from the different characters? Backman uses repetition of certain words and phrases to give new meanings every time and emphasizes the themes. Readers are thus made aware of the full implication of the repeated words and phrases.

The novel shows how sports can be a motivating factor that bring a community together, but is also a vehicle for negative beliefs such as racism, sexism, and politics. The young boys are taught by their leaders how to stay committed, disciplined and take responsibility, but outside the rink they act with a sense of entitlement, are exclusionary, and arrogant. The parents fail to teach them how to be kind and responsible adults outside the game. The novel touches on racism, with the character of Amat as the outsider who attracts racist attitudes from townspeople. Amat is the son of an immigrant woman. He is not strong or big but he is faster than anyone on ice, thus making him a valued hockey player. Another theme is of sexism and the violence that is condoned when sports players and their fans fail to be disciplined. Kevins sense of entitlement when he raped Maya is a display of sexist attitudes adopted among sports players and their supporters. Related to this is the attitude of homophobia which runs among sexist men who feel threatened by other men of different gender preference. Backman likewise explored the issue of trauma among victims of violence and how this affects the entirety of ones life. Backmans focus on the community of Beartown shows how people are bonded together in their racist and exclusionary attitudes, and do not allow outsiders to affect their lives. The group thinking that prevails prevents people from acting for what is right.

Unlike his previous novels which focus on a central character, Backman focuses on the whole town to tell the story of Beartown. The Washington Times review says Backman showcases his astonishing depth in portraying the many characters in the novel, and his broad range as a writer. His ability to make readers understand the feelings of the many different characters in the novel is outstanding. And like his previous novels, Beartown has characters significant for their tenacity in picking up the pieces from a personal tragedy.