The second novel in the Beartown saga starts where the first one left off. The town so passionately dedicated to hockey is bracing for the aftermath after the disastrous events taken place during the Spring season. From the fallout of those disturbing allegations put forth by Maya Anderson,  Kevin Erdahl, the erstwhile Beartown hockey player is leaving the town. Not by his own accord but as forced by his parents. Incidentally his parents have gone through hell while protecting him and keeping him out of the clutches of the law but they failed to save their marriage in the process.

On the other hand, Maya’s parents- Peter and Kira are putting a brave face for the sake of their daughter. But their relationship is crumbling under the pressure of keeping a strong façade for the sake of Maya. After what happened, it’s obvious that they are overprotective of their daughter. But that takes a toll on their family as Peter is burying himself under more work, Kira is suffering silently all the neglect and aloofness of her husband. Maya’s brother is on another trajectory all together where he is eager to avenge the abuse suffered by his sister.

And the abuse is relentless and continues for almost a year. Credit goes to author for capturing the extent and kind of abuses in a very respectable and sensitive manner. He paints such a vivid picture of Beartown and its neighboring significant town and their legendary rivalry. This rivalry intensifies as the Beartown Hockey Club disintegrates under the growing financial pressures almost overnight. It adds more fuel to the fire and the abuse turn ugly. Although it’s limited to verbal abuse to a certain extent but soon enough Anderson family starts facing physical abuse.

The way Backman writes about Beartown, it presents a microcosm of real world at large. He paints a nuanced portraits of different people living in this tiny forest town from regular working class population struggling and surviving against all odds to upper middle class population on Heights, from simple towns folk depending on factory work for their families survival to people like Peter trying their best to excel in a specialized jobs, from everyday law abiding citizens supporting each other through crisis to a gang of vigilantes offering protection at a cost. Still he keeps a firm hold on the narrative and does not let it dilute even after adding so many characters with their quirks and backstories in the mix.

All of this makes this as a compelling read. I will certainly recommend this to be a worthy addition in your TBR list.