This book is about community, loyalty, personal values, courage, friendship, and facing tragedy. I love the depth of the town and the characters in Beartown. This book shows a lot of personal growth in the face of big and real challenges we face in life. It was a really good book in the end touching on important topics and aspects of life and society.

I struggled with the writing at times. Some of the metaphors and comparisons felt out of place. The mysterious endings of most chapters sometimes felt too intense and unnecessary – while sometimes it worked very well and made a powerful impact in the storytelling.

It was a heartbreaking story that was powerfully and beautifully told. The richness of the characters and their lives have stuck with me, Beartown, and its people have stuck with me. I am inspired by their growth, their courage, and their integrity. I am inspired by their resilience and strength to endure.

This book has taught me ways one can take healing into their own hands and what it means to accept what happened and to keep going despite it, and that feels extremely powerful.

I like Backman’s style of writing and storytelling, and I feel very excited to read the next book.