How beautiful and gut-wrenching and warm and introspective this story was. Backman’s writing is poetic and every line is noteworthy. It’s too easy to fumble a story like this and yet, Backman’s clear love for this town and these people and this sport seeps through the pages and makes you fall in love with every aspect of it. And his great ability to rip that love out from under you so quickly is shocking. “Beartown’s” strength is carried by the stories of people and their families- a mother’s love for her son, a daughter’s love for her parents, a boys courage ignited by his sisters and mother- in a town that loves a sport. The end is maddening and heartbreaking but also just (sorta) and inspiring and I’m still mourning having to close the book on this town where a boy’s abuse of power and a girl’s found power tears apart as many people as it does bring them together. I highly, highly recommend this one. Now, onto Benji’s story.