Everyone knows Beartown is a hockey town. And everyone in Beartown knows someone who is connected to hockey, from the lonely owner of the local bar to the former athlete now managing the supermarket. In a town dying from economic decay and isolated by the surrounding wilderness, Beartown needs its junior hockey team to bring home the championship and bring in tourism and sponsorship dollars to keep the town alive. The son of a wealthy businessman and team patron, Kevin is the squad's superstar. Amat is an immigrant whose speed and skill on the ice may be his ticket to popularity. Maya is the daughter of the team's beloved general manager. When the paths of these three collide in the supercharged aftermath of a decisive game, the town's financial survival rests on the moral convictions of its most vulnerable citizens. The sentimentally savvy Backman (A Man Called Ove, 2014) takes a sobering and solemn look at the ways alienation and acceptance, ethics and emotions nearly destroy a small town.--Haggas, Carol Copyright 2017 Booklist

Swedish author Backman's novels tackle serious subjects-isolated aging in A Man Called Ove, death and responsibility in My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry, abandonment in Britt-Marie Was Here, dementia in And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer-gleefully softened with undeniable humor and charm. Beartown is different: despite glimmers of familiar playfulness, Backman has undoubtedly gone dark. In shrinking Beartown, ice hockey provides the only hope that the isolated community might have a future. But when the junior team's star player rapes the team manager's 15-year-old daughter, taking sides proves inevitable. Some call foul against the victim, claiming her accusation a publicity stunt; others champion the truth at the risk of their own safety. Marin Ireland here showcases a controlled-to-frantic-to-resigned virtuosic range similar to that which made her so memorable as the -Princetonite-turned-terrorist in Homeland's opening season. Beyond her affecting vocal modulations, Ireland embodies more nuanced moments: breaking points, reversals of parent/child roles, unbearable rage, shattering disappointments. VERDICT Backman scores big with such a powerfully affecting narrator. Highly recommended. ["Another solid offering from best-selling Swedish author Backman, with many parallels for American readers and small towns everywhere": LJ 4/1/17 review of the Atria hc.]-Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, -Washington, DC © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The bestselling author of A Man Called Ove tells a poignant story of a hockey town paralyzed by scandal. Jobs are disappearing and Beartown is slowly dying, so for its citizens, hockey is everything. Backman asks, "Why does everyone care about hockey? Because hockey tells stories." This is the story not just of hockey, but of a 15-year-old named Maya Andersson, whose father, Peter, the general manager of the hockey club, loves hockey, but loves his family more. Seventeen-year-old Kevin Erdahl is the star of Beartown, with a chance to go professional. One night, after a huge win, Maya goes to a raucous party at Kevin's house and is thrilled at his attention, but things get out of hand, and what takes place changes Beartown forever. Lest readers think hockey is the star here, it's Backman's rich characters that steal the show, and his deft handling of tragedy and its effects on an insular town. While the story is dark at times, love, sacrifice, and the bonds of friendship and family shine through, ultimately offering hope and even redemption. Backman veers close to the saccharine, but readers may be too spellbound to notice. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.