Bear Town

Fredrik Backman has written several books, and I think I've read them all now. He has this way of writing to catch you into the story, you think you have it all under control, but then you burst out laughing while you read and the next minute you're crying. He really lets all the characters get under your skin and you just get emotional attached and well, then you cry. Happens to me every time! The two first times were the worst. I guess it had something to do I read his books in public. The end of both books. I cried and cried on the train in the Netherlands. No way to hide it. No way to stop it. The second time was on the beach. I had to jump in the sea to hide it. My daughter thought I was the strangest person ever. I had burst out laughing a minute before I started to cry. That's how his books work. This time was no exception.

Bear Town is about this small town in Sweden where nothing happens. Factories have stopped the production, there's nothing to do except to play hockey. Hockey is the heart of the city. It's the way out of town. But of course the book isn't really about hockey. It's about the passion, the longing for something, maybe a way out, to belong some place with somebody, about friendship, betrayal and loyalty.

Backman takes his time to let you get to know all the characters, their dreams and hopes, their background and their weaknesses before he lets the story unfold. And that is what makes the reader so involved when the story gets complicated. You are involved in all of their lives. The book is about to be a tv-series as well. The makers behind The Bridge is going to produce it. I think it will be interesting. And a sequel is already written too. I'm going to read it, as I do with all his books. And if you're on Instagram, go follow him. His posts are witty and funny.