Beartown

BEARTOWN

by Fredrik Backman

 

Nominations: Dublin Longlist 2019, Goodreads Finalist 2017

 

Date Read: June 27, 2022

 

“… the best way to prepare mentally for becoming a parent is to stay in a tent at a weeklong rock festival with a load of fat friends who are smoking hash. You blunder about in a permanent state of acute sleep deprivation wearing clothes covered with stains from food that is only very rarely your own, you suffer from tinnitus, you can’t go near a puddle without some giggling fool jumping in it, you can’t go to the bathroom without someone standing outside banging on the door, you get woken up in the middle of the night because someone was “just thinking about something,” and you get woken up the next morning to find someone pissing on you.” No truer words were ever written. But, of course, it leaves out the wonder and beauty that comes along with all of that.

 

Beartown is the story of a small hockey town that is torn apart by a rape. Beartown is actually on the decline and is hoping beyond hope that creating a hockey star will bring publicity and economic renewal to a once thriving town. The community have placed their hopes on Kevin, a child of privilege with two successful but neglectful parents. He encompasses all the traits of a hockey prodigy – tenacity, dedication, relentlessness – and ego to go with it. He never loses. Even when it comes to women.

 

Maya is a young 15 year old girl. She loves her best friend, Ana, her guitar and is just becoming enamored with boys. She is awed by Kevin and is surprised when he gives her attention over older, more attractive girls. At a party at Kevin’s house, with his parents away and a win under their belt, Kevin rapes Maya. Further complicating this tragedy is that Maya is the daughter of the Beartown hockey team’s General Manager.

 

Yet, in this male-centric town, no one believes Maya. Some can’t believe Kevin, the golden boy, would do such a thing. Others, don’t want to believe Kevin could do such a thing because then their hopes and investment will come crashing down. Only after a few people speak out does a flicker of doubt cross the minds of the unconvinced.

 

Beartown is unique in that I felt viscerally the frustration, rage and disbelief swirling around this tragedy. I could see how much a town relies on the promise of their youth. I could see how they may be persuaded to look the other way. What I couldn’t understand is why no one in the town asked themselves what Maya hoped to gain if she were lying. She would have known there would be hell to pay and yet, she reported it anyway. Good girl. 

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