I never wrote a review for this one because it was before my quest to review everything I’ve read, but I really wish I had because my view on these books has changed pretty dramatically in the three and a half years it’s been since I first picked these up on the recommendation of my good friend and voracious bibliophile Aileen.
Things I still think are true: Backman is one of my favorite authors writing today, for all that I’ve only read his works in translation and could very well be more enamored of his translator than the author himself. But there’s a pretty clear style that comes across in his work, one that I’ve now half associated with Scandinavian authors (Stieg Larsson comes to mind). Backman has a way of finding a universal truth, then nailing it on the head with few extraneous words. His work is beautiful, and brings to mind the snow and isolation and heart of the small town hinterlands of northern Sweden.
A second time through, though, with some additional context, I perhaps find myself a bit exasperated at the story that Backman’s telling. Whether it’s the sheer number of stories of “sportsball player rapes groupie who deserved it,” or the fact that we’re meant to believe that the good guys can win (in their way), it’s a little harder to be as charmed by the word of Hed and Beartown in the year 2022. Did I still enjoy this very much? Yes. Did I find myself voraciously savoring moments with all the boys on the team knowing that in the third installment someone was going to finally meet their end? You betcha! All in all, I felt like this remains the strongest of the trilogy, and I definitely don’t regret ever recommending it.
Re-read, September 2022: Similar to my feelings about Beartown, I feel like my enjoyment of this book has diminished slightly over the years—2019 was…so very long ago, I suppose, and I’ve read so very many books since then.
I still am surprised that I care so much about the sportsball at the center of this novel. Perhaps what I have less patience for (and care for) are the sad situations that lead to the seemingly normal men in the town turning bad, but then again that’s no real surprise. If you like Backman’s writing style—and here, I do, small gut punches over and over again that get to the heart of emotional truths—then you’ll enjoy this book as much as you enjoyed Beartown. Wouldn’t say it’s a good litmus test for all of his novels (A Man Called Ove has a special place in my heart) but I think it’s a sense of whether you think a book needs to be inscrutable in order to be Good. If, like me, you disagree, then Backman’s entire oeuvre is for you.
Original read, June 2019: What a masterfully tense novel, picking up right where we left off and seamlessly changing focus (and adding new characters!) without losing the feel that made Beartown so good. Never thought I’d care so much about sports and sportsball (sportspuck?) but Backman has absolved me of that notion.
It’s definitely a writing style that has to be enjoyed, otherwise the concept would get old fast. I enjoy the flashforwards; they help alleviate some of the aforementioned tension without revealing too much. And they add nuance and joy to the story as well–I loved hearing snippets of how four-and-a-half year old Alicia will one day be the best of them all. It’s particularly apt as I sit and attempt to stream the USWNT playing in France.
[My one nit is one I’m not even sure I’d want to fix. We know someone is going to die. We’re limited in who that is, as we know Amat is going to go pro and Maya is going to be a singer, etc. But it does feel a bit like a cop out to introduce a new character as the sacrificial lamb. My sense is Backman couldn’t bear to have Leo take the fall. But. I didn’t want to give him up either].