Going in, I thought Beartown was going to be about a down-on-its-luck hockey town trying to win a championship. But it turned out to be so much more than that. The central conflict, which I won't give away, is portrayed with so much heart, complexity, and raw emotions. It felt so real that I had to read this book slowly, taking deep breathes and frequent breaks just so that my heart didn't burst.
There are so many strong and lovable characters in here, including Maya, Kira, Peter, Ana, Amat and so many more. It's great when an author can capture one real three-dimensional character in a book's pages, but to craft so many of individuals and make them all come alive is astounding.
This book covers so much, about loyalty, sacrifice, love of self versus love of community, belonging, bonds of family and friends, morality, what we teach our children through our actions and our words. And Backman does it all in a cohesive tale. At times during the first half, it feels like the book could have been more concise, but Backman's beautiful writing and wise insights more than makes up for the slower initial pace.
Simply put, this book blew me away!
Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!
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