Beartown
Fredrik Backman's novel about a small, struggling Swedish town whose hopes rest on the junior ice hockey team and a violent act that divides the community.
Also by Fredrik Backman
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A few of the closest reads from our full list.
What you might want to know about Beartown
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
In a fading Swedish forest town built around its junior hockey team, a single party after a key game forces the players, families, and neighbors to decide which version of the night they will defend.
Fredrik Backman's Beartown trilogy has three books: Beartown, Us Against You, and The Winners. The series follows the small Swedish hockey town across years and is meant to be read in order.
Yes. HBO Europe and Filmlance produced a five-part Swedish-language adaptation of Beartown in 2020. The series is in Swedish with subtitles in international markets.
Beartown contains a depiction of sexual assault and the community's response to it. The portrayal is handled with care but is central to the plot. Readers sensitive to assault content should approach with awareness.
Beartown was written by Fredrik Backman, published in 2016 by Atria Books.
Beartown is 432 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Beartown takes most readers 6 to 9 hours to finish.
Beartown is a standalone novel by Fredrik Backman, not part of a series.
Beartown is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
