Published: August 2017
Pages: 448
Series: Beartown #2
Summary
After everything that the citizens of Beartown have gone through, they are struck yet another blow when they hear that their beloved local hockey team will soon be disbanded. What makes it worse is the obvious satisfaction that all the former Beartown players, who now play for a rival team in Hed, take in that fact. Amidst the mounting tension between the two rivals, a surprising newcomer is handpicked to be Beartown’s new hockey coach.
Soon a new team starts to take shape around Amat, the fastest player you’ll ever see; Benji, the intense lone wolf; and Vidar, a born-to-be-bad troublemaker. But bringing this team together proves to be a challenge as old bonds are broken, new ones are formed, and the enmity with Hed grows more and more acute.
As the big match approaches, the not-so-innocent pranks and incidents between the communities pile up and their mutual contempt grows deeper. By the time the last game is finally played, a resident of Beartown will be dead, and the people of both towns will be forced to wonder if, after all they’ve been through, the game they love can ever return to something simple and innocent.
My thoughts
Having now finished this series, this is my favourite of the trilogy. This is the one that cut me the deepest.
I wasn’t sure what to expect in this instalment, we got so much in book one how much more can one town take? This book is devastating. It is written so incredibly well with the same provocative and emotive writing fans of Backman have grown to love. With prose that will slice close to your heart, make you think and make you FEEL. I love this series despite the difficult topics at hand. They are handled well, with care and compassion. Because let’s not forget, these things happen every day to real women.
This story picks up where the first book ended, the focus here is on the aftermath of the violence delivered by Kevin and the wider town. This community is grappling with the tragedy and betrayal in many different ways. It was so upsetting to read. These characters feel so real and raw that reading this story just hit me really hard. I can see that they are all dealing with a pressure they don’t realise they’ve given to themselves and in that allies have been made.
“The complicated thing about good and bad people alike is that most of us can be both at the same time.”
A large concept of this book is about the lies people tell themselves to justify their behaviour. Not only that but the twisting of truth depending on who is on the other end. The attitude towards Maya differs depending on which town they’re from and if they’re hockey fans or whether they are too afraid to choose sides. On one hand Maya is a princess and they don’t believe her but then to the hockey players they’ll happy use the accusations against them, it’s contradictory but the lies are sweeter and most don’t care. Hockey is centred around the towns existence and people will use anything to excuse their behaviour if it means hockey prevails and the town wins.
“He’s twelve years old, and this summer he learns that people will always choose a simple lie over a complicated truth, because the lie has one unbeatable advantage: the truth always has to stick to what actually happened, whereas the lie just has to be easy to believe.”
The other side of this is seeing how those that are afraid rise above anyway. Break out against expectations because they know it’s the right thing to do. There is still hope in these towns and there are people that have independent thought and they will stand against evil. These moments are cherished in amongst all the drama and politics that unfold.
And there are lots of politics! Smartly written and played out that I couldn’t help but wonder – where did things start to go wrong? Was it a specific moment in Beartown, was it a culmination of acts? What act of violence or revenge or ignorance was what lit the fuse? This is one of those stories where the situation is incredibly tender and you can see the bomb get close to ticking, you’re just waiting for when it’s all going to blow.
“Two drowning people with lead weights around their ankles may not be each other’s salvation; if they hold hands, they’ll just sink twice as fast. In the end the weight of carrying each other’s broken hearts becomes unbearable.”
Maya’s friends and family are another saving grace in this story. They unite with her but through Backman’s honest writing, he doesn’t shy away from the impact and how this situation is effecting the people around her. Her parents especially are tied in knots trying to help her, help themselves, be a couple but are faced with their own challenges that it starts to pull them all apart. It’s a very realistic view that handles the different perspectives with integrity and empathy.
And would this be a true review without a Benji mention? My favourite character of the series, probably everyone else’s favourite also going by other reviews. He is a boy that has been dealt with a poor hand before he had a chance to live his life. Surrounded by strong sisters, Benji is dealing with his own trauma of the situation. The self doubt and self blame, the constant thought that if he did something different, if he wasn’t so selfish things could have turned out differently. He knows he did the right thing but he’s also mourning what he once had. It’s complicated, especially for a teenager and he drowns himself in drink and drugs to bury the pain. I long for his happiness and for him to accept himself and want more.
“Mom. You taught me that I don’t have to have dreams. I can have goals.”
This book has profound acts of kindness, courage, and solidarity amongst the violence and the prejudice. I loved seeing more of our characters and some new ones too. My heart aches for Leo and this experience as a young boy, there’s a potential for him to move into the wrong crowds, to give him something to fight for. I hope he does not take that path.
Even Ana, although she had her moments, she is a young girl with a whole lot of heart.
Would I Recommend?
Absolutely, this is my favourite of the series so far. Backman took Beartown and dialled it up. We got so much in this book, every page I was glued to just waiting for the next one. I put this down once and then couldn’t put it down again, this was finished in two days.
Leave a Reply