Beartown is much more than a book about hockey. Yes, the sport is everywhere. But the people are also everywhere. Here, it's the sport. In another place, it would be something else that dictates and decides how people should live their lives.

The narration is in short scenes with lots of foreshadowing that tells us what will happen next. This only makes the reader frustrated as the actual plot takes its own sweet time to unfold. But when it does, it hits hard.

The portrayal is so realistic, it gets uncomfortable at times. I was constantly drawing parallels to what I see on social media every day. As I said before, hockey is the reason in the book, while ideologies are the reason in real life. The basic human interaction and reactions are the same.
That's the only reason I wasn't overwhelmed by the events in the book. Reality is worse, and I'm almost numbed by now.

The character arc for each person is fantastic. I only wish the book moved a bit faster during the first 30%. Nevertheless, Beartown is a book that will stay with the reader for a long time.