Why I Read It: My husband couldn’t stop talking about it. Also readers that enjoy stories about sports and/or small town gossip. Recommended For: Fans of stories told from multiple points of view. Reality: A damn near masterpiece with many strong characters, thoroughly explored moral dilemmas and an ending that will stop your heart. When the coaches’ daughter is assaulted by the star player, the town takes sides and humanity is exposed at its worst – and best.Įxpectation: A slow-burn, quasi-intellectual exploration of life in a small town. A lesson that’s even more relevant in 2020.Ģ022 Update: Check out my review of the series’ conclusion “ The Winners”ġ00-Word (or Less) Synopsis: In Beartown, hockey is king and after years of let downs a team is assembled that can finally bring glory back.
More than anything they are about community, and the need to look out for one another even if you disagree. I also spent my youth involved in team sports, sometimes at an elite level, and remember the fear, shame and desire to outperform all of my teammates to offset any questions that might arise about my masculinity or sexuality as I was trying to figure those things out myself.Īnd while these are sports stories, you certainly don’t need to be a sports lover to enjoy them. He is a complex LGBTQ+ teen with a narrative that was instantly relatable.
There was too much time dedicated to new characters that you're expected to care for before given a reason, which detracted from the carryover characters, which in my case, were the ones I really wanted to read about, specifically Benji Ovich (#16).įor me, Benji is one of the main reasons to read the series. Whereas “Beartown” was layered, complex and presented many ambiguous scenarios - especially once the central story started to unfold - in “Us Against You” the stakes just aren't that high, but you're still led to believe they are in acts of emotional manipulation by Backman. It is a cautionary tale and reminder of how to treat one another at the end of the day and should become required reading/listening for those that participate in youth sports both as parents and participants.Įven as difficult as aspects of the story were to stomach, when it was over (that ending -oof!), I needed to know what happened to the characters and town next, so I was ecstatic that a sequel had already been published. “Beartown” presents a rich, complex and frustrating story that should be debated and discussed for years. “ Beartown” and “ Us Against You” represented two of my most surprising reads in 2019.Īfter finishing "A Man Called Ove," which lacked charm and originality (unpopular opinion acknowledged), I didn't feel the need to give Backman another try, but my husband read “Beartown” and couldn’t stop raving about it, so begrudgingly I gave it a listen it was a damn near masterpiece.
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