Book Review Robert Wiersema BEARTOWN by Fredrik Backman The worldwide popularity of writer Fredrik Backman is probably among the most surprising – and thrilling – literary success stories in recent memory. His first novel, AMan Called Ove, was a bestseller in his native Sweden and, after a slow boil, it topped the charts in the United States. The book – which follows the reawakening of a curmudgeonly 59-year-old widower who tries, unsuccessfully, to kill himself following the death of his wife – has been adapted for the stage and for film (the movie was nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar) and has been published in more than three dozen languages. This makes Backman the most successful Swedish novelist since Stieg Larsson introduced us toThe Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Not bad for a college dropout who, at one point, took a job driving a forklift at night and on weekends in a food warehouse to allow himself time to write during the day. It’s not a completely surprising development, though; it’s easy to see why A Man Called Ove drew so many admirers. Despite the sadness of its premise, the novel is frequently hilarious, and one is drawn to the title character as the story progresses, as we get to see what makes him tick. His interactions with his neighbours are lovely and the book, far from dark, takes on a winsome and whimsical tone, warm and inviting. If charmwere the only trick Backman brought to the table, it would be more than enough (millions of copies of a single title sold, not to mention the novels that have followed Ove). But there’s more to the Stockholm resident than that, asBeartown, his new novel, demonstrates. Beartown is a small rural community in Sweden, the sort of place where everyone knows everyone else and there are few secrets. The town is down on its luck, with layoffs and population decline, but it does have one thing going for it: the Beartown junior hockey team is in contention this year, playing in the semifinals of the biggest tournament in the country. Beartown is hockey-obsessed, this season more than ever. The players hold court at the old rink, built generations before by the men who worked in the factory, keeping dreams alive for decades. They’ve had some successes, but nothing in recent memory rivals this junior team. But it’s not just about hockey. A victory could change not just the players, but the whole town. Business and political interests are planning for a rebirth of the community, and it’s all dependent on the team. That community is at the heart of the novel. Backman draws the reader in, introducing us to characters from every level of town, from the boosters to the boozers, the family members and the management team, faded stars and young hopefuls. And then there’s the team itself, including Amat, an immigrant, whose mother works as a cleaner at the rink and who has devoted his life to becoming better and faster on the ice. There’s Kevin, the young prodigy, groomed to lead this team to victory, and his closest friend Benji, inseparable on the ice and off. And then there’s the Andersson family: Peter, who grew up in Beartown and left to play in the NHL, but brought his family back to take the job of GM; his wife Kira, who sacrificed her legal ambitions to move to this small town; and their daughter Maya, a sensitive 15-year-old who, after the events of a single night, will never be the same. The events of that night – and no, I’mnot going to reveal them here – shatter the community and change the course of the novel. Yes, this is a book about a hockey team, but I’m no fan of the game and even I devoured it. It’s not about hockey. In fact, it’s about the fundamentals of humanity: honour and duty, responsibility and faith, trust and betrayal. It is, ultimately, about good and evil, and the difficulty, sometimes, of determining which is which. Beartown is a powerful piece of storytelling, a novel which will catch you up and leave you, breathless and a little distraught, at the end. Readers, nomatter where they come from, will recognize this town, these people. It’s a universal story, familiar but fresh, powerfully told. 48 | www.snowbirds.org
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