Beartown

FROM THE MULTI-MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ANXIOUS PEOPLE AND A MAN CALLED OVE, FREDRIK BACKMAN**NOW A MAJOR HBO TV SERIES**'I utterly believed in the residents of Beartown and felt ripped apart by the events in the book' JOJO MOYES'I couldn't put it down. Heart-rending and engrossing' 5***** Reader Review

In a large Swedish forest, Beartown hides a dark secret . . .Cut-off from everywhere else, it experiences the kind of isolation that tears people apart. And each year, more and more of the town is swallowed by the forest. Then the town is offered a bright new future. But it is all put in jeopardy by a single, brutal act. It divides the town into those who think it should be hushed up and forgotten, and those who'll risk the future to see justice done. Who will speak up? Could you stand by and stay silent? Or would you risk everything for justice? Which side would you be on? 'A mature, compassionate novel' Sunday Times 'You'll love this engrossing novel' People 'You know a book is good when you don't want it to end' 5***** reader review

PRAISE FOR ANXIOUS PEOPLE'A brilliant and comforting read' MATT HAIG 'Funny, compassionate and wise. An absolute joy' A.J. PEARCE 'A surefooted insight into the absurdity, beauty and ache of life' GUARDIAN'I laughed, I sobbed, I recommended it to literally everyone I know' BUZZFEED 'Captures the messy essence of being human' WASHINGTON POST

I wasn't sure I would love a novel centred on hockey - but as with Friday Night Lights this is actually a story about people - about strength and tribal loyalty and what we unwittingly do when trying to show our boys how to be men. I utterly believed in the residents of Beartown, and felt ripped apart by the events in the book, Surrounded by impenetrable forests, it recreates the stifling atmosphere of a dying community. This is a mature, compassionate novel., A story about families, about friendship and loyalty, inequality, female vulnerability, male back-slapping, and parenthood ... No person's story is too little to be told, Backman includes them all. A novel with a big heart, A kind of problem play that moves extremely skilfully near the melodramatic without derailing. Its originality is substantial and the book credibly conveys the dual faces of everyday life. An impressive novel, like no other, Friday Night Lights for Swedes

Number 1 New York Times bestseller FREDRIK BACKMAN made his literary debut in 2012 with the global sensation A Man Called Ove - now a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks. Wickedly funny, touching and wise, Fredrik Backman's novels are odysseys of the ordinary man and woman, and stunningly moving tales of everyday courage. Up to now, Fredrik Backman has written seven highly acclaimed novels, two heartfelt novellas about life and love, and one non-fiction book about parenthood. His books have sold more than 18 million copies in 46 languages and the Swedish film adaption of A Man Called Ove was nominated for two Academy Awards. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children.