Beartown

Author: Frederik Backman

I had read Frederick Backman’s “A man called ove” and really loved it! He is so clear in his mind on the character sketches and equally clear in his expression. You can imagine each and every character in his book as to how they would look, where would  they live and so on. That, I feel engrosses you completely into the story, you feel a part of it. He does not disappoint in this book either. The first book had some humor in it and I got this book thinking it would be too. Even though it didn’t have humor, it didn’t matter. The story was very entertaining and engrossing.

As the cover and title suggest, the book is about a town called Beartown. It has a run down economy, businesses and schools are shutting down. The only hope it has is (ice) hockey. They’ve had great players in the past and there are more in the making. Its not all about hockey though. It is about the lives of the people whose life revolves around hockey, directly or indirectly. Mostly a few school going kids who come from different backgrounds and how their background has shaped them. Maya, who loves to play guitar and would like to be as  far away from hockey as possible but her father is the manager of the hockey team and was himself a great player. Amat, from a single parent household who dreams of hockey day and night. Kevin the best player on the hockey team and from one of the richest houses in Beartown. There are twists and turns that keep you on the edge. All in all I would highly recommend this book.