Beartown

Product Information

Mr. Erdahl talks to Amat and tells him that he didn’t see what he thought he saw at Kevin’s party. He also offers Amat’s mom a better job and money for expensive new skates in exchange for Amat’s silence. Amat drops the money on the ground.

Beartown begins at the end and, with an opening line as ominous as this one, you just know there’s an epic tale to be unraveled.An uplifting, life-affirming and often comic tale of how kindness, love and happiness can be found in the most unlikely places Sunday Express This book talks about right vs. wrong, violence, justice, community, fears, dreams, culture, integrity, privilege, pressure, prejudices, misjudgment, silence, authority, family, decisions, belonging, winners, losers, hope, loneliness, loyalty, betrayal, forgiveness…

I have no words to describe how well written Beartown is. I wanted to cry and scream and burn this book and read it again. It made me angry, and sad, and so frustrated. But is also gave hope and a sense that – everything is going to be alright. In my opinion, Us Against You totally lives up to the hype and expectations of the biggest Beartown fans. While I thought no story could be as compelling, it truly was just as momentous, and in a league of its own from a literary perspective. I’m trying to be really careful while reviewing this book. I don’t want to scare off someone who’s trying to avoid deep, sad, heartbreaking tales. I’m also usually trying to avoid books that can make me cry. But I’ve loved this one so much, it would be a real shame if I’d skipped it. It also made me think – thank God there’s a sequel. I am not ready to say goodbye to some of these characters just yet… These new circumstances ignite a spark that burns slowly throughout the novel and builds to an utterly explosive climax, while also weaving in intimate character portraits of the strengths and weaknesses of the townspeople.Everything and everyone in Beartown is tightly-knit in a web of circumstances that will unfold as the plot ensues. In this little town where barely anything happens, things will surface that will threaten the peace and stability that has existed for a long time. Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected. The center of the team is the 17-year-old star, Kevin, coached by David and managed by Peter. Peter is married to Kira (a lawyer), and they have two children, Maya and Leo. Maya is a teen whose best friend is Ana. Amat, whose mother Fatima is a cleaner, is added to the team for his speed. Benji is Kevin’s best friend, and Ramona runs the local pub. These, and even more characters, round out the complex cast. The party at Kevin’s house is filled with drunken teenagers. Maya soon gets drunk with Kevin, and Kevin quietly makes a bet with his friend Lyt that he’ll be able to sleep with the General Manager’s daughter. Maya accompanies Kevin to his bedroom and kisses him, but he rapes her a short time later. Amat, meanwhile, has wandered upstairs in search of Maya; hearing sounds of a struggle from Kevin’s room, he opens the door and sees everything, interrupting the assault. Maya flees the party and later destroys all evidence of the rape.

Beartown has its heartbreaking moments, but it is so much more than a sad book. It is filled with so many amazing things, like love, family, loyalty, devotion, warmth, small acts of kindness and so much hope – it can make you laugh and cry at the same time. The rape case against Kevin is dropped due to insufficient evidence. Maya continues to suffer distress and decides she must either kill herself or kill Kevin to be relieved of the pain. Late at night, Maya surprises Kevin with a shotgun and forces him to kneel in front of her. Maya thrusts the gun to a whimpering Kevin's forehead and pulls the trigger, but he doesn't die as she intentionally didn't load the gun. Maya reasons that the fear Kevin felt at the moment she pulled the trigger will continue to haunt him for the rest of his life, just as the rape will haunt her. A new female coach, Elisabeth, gives the team a fighting chance with Benji, who is struggling with being secretly gay, at the helm. Meanwhile, Maya’s best friend, Ana, falls for team player, Vidar, and this relationship has lasting consequences. On the night of the semi-final victory, Kevin's parents are out of town. This gives Kevin the opportunity to host a big party for his team and many other teenagers from the community. At the party, many of the teenagers are drinking and indulging in marijuana use and the team members boast about having sex with the supportive female fans. Maya and Kevin sneak off to an upstairs bedroom to make out. Maya resists Kevin's advances, and he proceeds to rape her. Amat, himself drunk and harboring feelings for Maya, stumbles in to witness the rape. Maya takes advantage of Amat's intrusion to free herself from Kevin.

As the team is preparing for a match, Amat is scouted and added to the team to give them a better chance of winning. The team wins the match based on Amat's newly indoctrinated skills. That night, Kevin hosts a party in celebration of the win at his parent's home. Many teenagers from Beartown are in attendance, and most of them are indulging in underage drinking and smoking. Kevin meets Maya, and they start kissing, which eventually leads to Kevin raping Maya. I also loved how the characters were presented in relation to one another. So you often get two very different people coming to the same conclusion, or two very similar people end up being very different in their essences. Surrounded by impenetrable forests, it recreates the stifling atmosphere of a dying community. This is a mature, compassionate novel. Sunday Times