Beartown is a small, isolated town obsessed with ice hockey. They
finally have a junior team they believe will put them back on the map and
encourage investment but then it all goes wrong. Their star player, Kevin, rapes
the general manager’s daughter and the town’s residents are forced to confront
their prejudices and question who they believe.
Backman deals with the issue masterfully. The attack itself is
described but not in excessive, gratuitous detail. Instead we are told the odd
little details Maya will remember later. Initially reluctant to report the
crime to the police, knowing full well that the town will instantly take
Kevin’s side, her sense of duty to protect others outweighs her own desire to
pretend it never happened. Before the rest of the town find out what has
happened the police make it clear that their default is to blame the victim,
telling her what she should have done differently and giving her a greater
degree of agency than Kevin, despite him being the older of the two. The
reactions of the residents when it comes out are just as Maya expected –
unforgivably violent and extreme. She proves herself strong while others cave
under the desire to fit in, ignoring her suffering for the sake of themselves
and the team. ‘Winners have a tendency to be forgiven here.’ The issues raised
in this novel feel very relevant – victim blaming is rife in reporting on
sexual assaults and the perpetrator’s prestige used as a vehicle for softer
sentencing.
Backman builds up the hockey culture in the town so that we see how
such behaviour is accepted and possibly even inevitable. We are told numerous
times that when pumped up the players would kill if their coach ordered it.
They are disruptive and disrespectful at school – a symptom of the mindset
drilled into them for the sport that nobody teaches them how to switch off when
they’re not on the ice. The adulation laid on them for their victories is
addictive and they will do anything to feel it again.
There’s also a sense that the town doesn’t foster respect for women
and that there’s a culture of silence and shame for them. There is no female
hockey team despite a number of characters being talented players. Women and
girls are not expected to take an interest in the game itself as much as the
players, although when they do they are seen as sluts. Kira, Maya’s mother and
a successful lawyer, is judged for going out to work full time, her husband
mocked for her strength and earning power.
The role of parents is also an interesting aspect in the book. Kevin’s
mother has always covered for her son, making it so he is never held
accountable for his actions. His father threatens those who could reveal the
truth and attempts to bribe them. Maya’s parents don’t communicate well with
each other and don’t question Maya when they can sense something is wrong –
they are too concerned about being uncool and overly involved. There’s also
some parents that make huge sacrifices to support their children and ultimately
they make the right decision.
An excellent read that deals with a difficult
issue sensitively and intelligently. Don’t be put off by the hockey framing, it
is much more about the morals of the characters and how opinion and behaviour
is formed.
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