"Never trust people who don't have something in their lives that they love beyond all reason."

I didn't really know what to expect from this book (especially since I tend to avoid as much information as possible, including the synopsis, prior to starting), and now I don't really know what to say about it.

Backman tackles a lot of important topics — from sheer love of sport (in this case hockey, and a bit about guitar and hunting) to locker room talk to families, both born and found, to justice and revenge — without preaching or making all the dissenting characters into villains. Some of them are awful people, but others are believably conflicted: caught between the right thing and the easy thing. And, of course, some are doing their best even when it's the hardest thing they've ever done.

The plot is mostly sketched out in little moments: there's a clear overarching narrative, but they don't all quite fit together neatly (as with real life). It's these smaller scenes that really resonated with me, that made me laugh and cry and solemnly sympathize. The pacing is fantastic. And the conversational writing tone really fits with everything else.

This is, after all, a story about a town and the people in it.

content warnings:

Spoiler

on-page non-graphic rape, slut-shaming, underage drinking & marijuana use, homophobia, transphobia, suicidal ideation, loss of loved ones, pre-narrative death of a child, mentions of child abuse (physical & verbal), mentions of alcoholic abusive parents

rep:

Spoiler

MLM main character, M/M relationship

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CONVERSION: 13.7 / 15 = 5 stars

Prose: 9 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 10 / 10
Emotional Impact: 9 / 10
Development / Flow: 8 / 10
Setting: 10 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: 5 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: N/A
Rereadability: 4 / 5
Memorability: 5 / 5