[Review] Beartown by Fredrik Backman: An Exploration of Toxic Masculinity
Warning: this story as well as my review contain the topic of rape. Please proceed at your own caution! For full trigger warnings check the end of my review.
What makes a man? What makes a community stand with someone no matter what? What makes a community?
Beartown, a small town somewhere in the woods with its hay days long past, is a community ruled by one thing: ice hockey. Everything comes back to that sport. One's friends and acquaintances, your social standing, the hopes for the town's future. So when someone from their up and coming junior team does something to threaten what people want this town to be, alliances are built and things are brought to light about Beartown.
Most of us probably heard of football players who did a rape and got away with it even though the evidence spoke against them. This book highlights stories like this by pointing out how the way masculinity is interpreted by society can influence someone to do a rape. We get to know all the characters surrounding the guy who did it and we see why and how people react upon finding out. From the parents of the girl struggling to come to terms with what happened to people keeping secrets as to not get shunned from the in-group again, from the parents of the boy being of two different opinions to people claiming the girl is lying. We see what we always see in actual situations like this: people being divided and doing a lot of victim blaming.
So, yes, this book is definitely more on the triggering side but for everyone who can deal with reading about this Beartown offers an interesting and proper look at a situation in which a sports person is accused of having assaulted someone. But it doesn't just talk about that.
This book shows us not only how toxic masculinity creates rape culture, it also shows us how it influences people's opinions on others (be it where they're from, their age, their talents, and more) and also how it effects those in the in-group that aren't exactly what people around them want them to be which leads to secrets that could hurt the one keeping them if they ever came out.
It also shows the connection between toxic masculinity and being an avid fan of a sports team. If anyone has ever walked around a train station of a big city in Europa after a soccer game you probably know a bit what I mean. Make sports fans thinking they own the place, that they are always the most right, and not to forget how being in this aggressively "manly" groups often leads to catcalling and more.
In Beartown we see this in the way politics of the city are shaped by ice hockey, how the team and everyone surrounding it reacts to the rape that happened, how there is "locker room talk" happening a lot, and more. Everyone thinks politics and hockey don't work together but it's actually a lot more political than people want to admit.
Towards the end of the book there is even an older woman yelling at a man for not understanding that men make bullshit social rules to pin blame for things on others. Be it religion, guns, or in the case of rape - men don't want to admit that the responsibility lies with them and how they raise other men.
One thing that also plays into this is what someone says to the character Benji later on in the book as well. That he's this strong and everything because he was raised in a household of women, as he has three older sisters and his dad died when he was quite young. And while Benji is definitely not a psychologically healthy teen he does have it going for him that he knows better what's right and wrong than many of the adult men in the city who probably think that Benji is a fucked up person because he didn't have a male role model.
Talking about Benji, and this is where we get into slight spoilers so skip this paragraph if you don't want those, he is an interesting character in a story that highlights toxic masculinity. Over the course of the book we find out that, while he is always seen as such a dangerous guy who girls would love to have, he's gay. He definitely struggles with that. He knows what he is and his sisters know as well but it's still not easy for him. Growing up in a community in which sexist and homophobic jokes are a common thing because the men saying them don't understand the impact of those, Benji does a lot to keep himself in control so people won't find out. But also so he doesn't have to lose hockey. We see Benji intentionally hurting himself a couple of times so he won't give in to his desires or show emotions he can't properly deal with. In general Benji is actually a decent person who sadly turned years ago into an absolute wildcard because it helped him stay part of the Beartown and hockey communities. To be honest, I was afraid how his story would turn out and while I wouldn't actually call it "happy" he does have a thing with another boy for a short time and thankfully allows himself to actually feel a bit, even though when he first meets the guy he lied to his sister saying that he wasn't his type because he didn't dare to let his feelings bubble up. The whole thing though is why I kind of want someone to tell me if Benji's story in the sequel ends good. It's a proper ending in Beartown based on how he deals with anything but still I want him to be happier. I don't need another dead or self-denying gay character, which are two things I'll always fear in stories containing queer characters, and I'm still worried this might happen to him. Overall though I think his story is handled well and appropriately in the context of this story.
Beartown as an exploration of the problems created through the underlying toxic masculinity in society does have a lot more to offer than that though. While it is the main focus of the story we do have a few more things that are discussed. Loyalty being one of the biggest topics as it does play into the topic of toxic masculinity. What makes loyalty and at what point do you need to stop? Who are you loyal to and is there a hierarchy to your loyalty?
There are many types of loyalty in Beartown. One of the most important one is obviously the one between team mates. If you get told from a young age that you need to be loyal to your team you will eventually even be that if you don't necessarily agree with whatever they say. They're your family outside your family and when they get threatened you fight whoever threatens them. Beartown does explore this to point out how and why a team will often stand behind their player if he did something horrendous. But the book goes further and also points out how fragile this loyalty can be when friendship and other things are or might be involved. From one best friend turning away from this loyalty because he knows how wrong and disgusting the other acted, to people finding close friendship bonds in the team and through that realizing that the "if you aren't for us you are against us" attitude doesn't solve anything.
Friendships are another type of loyalty in this story and especially when something like a rape happens, friendships can and will break even between best friends because of things said afterwards. Or sometimes the friendship gets even stronger. Most of us probably heard of supposed best girl friends leaving their friend in the dust after said friend was raped. The amount of gossiping and girls playing into sexist hierarchies after something like this happened is why I was afraid for the best friend to leave her friend alone here as well. Thankfully she didn't and both girls are there to be each other's rock. We have two teenage girls who are quite different but who just know each other better than anyone and wouldn't give anything to lose what they have.
People who would claim that they wouldn't give anything away for their loyalty are those people who say they support the team but in the end all they care about is money and recognition. Many people in Beartown support their team until things actually fall apart. Loyalty is fragile and when certain players leave you recognize who actually supports the team and who only favors the best and wants to win. This gets especially obvious at the end of the story when players leave for another team and a huge chunk of Beartown doesn't support their town's team anymore. Only one of the adults who was already involved beforehand still clings to the team because for him this town's team is important, no matter the player.
Also hooligans of some sort play a role in this story. And their loyalties lie with the team until the bitter end. They do want what's best for it even though their methods are despicable to say the least. But they're also loyal to an older woman running a pub. Here lies the hierarchy of loyalty. If you really trust someone you might decide in a situation against what you would usually choose. And having had support from someone when no one else cared is definitely a good way to earn loyalty.
But with this we also come full circle again as this loyalty raised from being taken care of only existed because of how these people were treated when they were younger and how they were raised by society. Aggression and violence are the language of toxic masculinity as it becomes the only way to get any feelings out if you don't know how to handle things otherwise. At various moments in this book you will find this.
But you will also find aggression and violence as the language of grief and frustration.
Talking about language, Backman does a good job at showing us how people's use of language is influenced by what's happening around them. We got the rich adult trying to bribe people and changing how they speak depending on who is in front of them. We got the language used in hockey locker rooms and such to push people into certain directions. We got the language of someone grieving for what happened. But we also got the language of people who have been taught to see the lie when people speak the truth.
One of the first things we'll come across after the rape is brought to light for the public is the difference in terminology regarding both people involved: "the boy" and "the young woman". We got here, plain as day, a way of talking that is supposed to push the blame on someone who should be more responsible according to their ascribed age range. We see this a lot as well with black teens being judged harder in court than their white counterparts because they are seen as older at a younger age. We have a different situation here but similar methods of creating opinions. The girl is younger than the boy but because of her gender and "boys will be boys" she gets put in the position of the older, more responsible one. This also plays into society's view on the maturity of girls. We always say that girls mature faster when in fact boys are allowed to be immature for far longer.
In general, this book parallels many moments in real life in which we realize how far people will go to keep the status quo after sexual assault has happened. From people claiming it should have been discussed in private to teens thinking of killing themselves, from people never using the girl's name anymore to her just being called a "bitch".
I could point out even more and in more detail but I would recommend to read this book yourself. The story mostly lives from the way it is written though. Backman uses fake-outs a lot, telling us one thing and making us think something will happen a certain way when it ends differently. I personally think it adds to the story but I have seen people disliking this way of storytelling, which is absolutely fair. It won't work for everyone and especially if you have anxiety it might not be that healthy for you. Keep that in mind if you decide to read this.
I also have to say that there were a few info dump moments towards the end of the story that felt more like an afterthought. It would have been better to have more hints at some in some way before.
Backman also tells the story by asking the reader questions and constantly breaking the fourth wall. It's really enjoyable in my opinion and adds to the story, as it will pull the reader deeper into the context and hopefully also make them think about what they would do in a situation like this. Having a story that reflects important social topics of our time works well in this way of writing. There are a couple of repetitions but I feel like in those cases I'm just being really nitpicky.
What I really loved is that even though I read the English translation it was easy to see how beautifully simple the writing is. Usually reading translations can give you a different experience as reading something in its original language does. But I would say that because of how Backman writes the translations works well without having to find complicated ways to say something, which is often the case and which can take away from the story the way the author intended. Maybe there are a few things that were translated in a very American way, at least I thought so until I read the word "lass", so it might not be the case.
Overall this book is a great example of what I personally want from a contemporary. It should make me feel, it should remind me of real life and maybe also comment on it. While I wouldn't consider this story to be entirely perfect as it's difficult to do with a topic like sexual assault, it's close. Also, while telling us about the different opinions in the town and why people have them, this book clearly states the horror of rape and that it is horrible. Some people have called this book "objective" but I disagree. It plays with objectivity as it fits with the way people in the story want to handle things but we do know things are bad, that objectivity in the face of sexual assault is not possible.
---
Trigger warnings: sexual assault, victim blaming, boys will be boys, sexist and homophobic jokes, self-hate, thoughts of suicide, guns, violence, sport related violence, the general things said when someone accuses someone of a rape, neglecting parents, abusive parents, emotional abusive parents, grief leading to violence, mentions of a dead child, general toxic masculinity
___
Disclaimer: Everything is my opinion. I wasn't asked or paid to talk about this book or anything mentioned.
Follow me: Instagram | Goodreads | Letterboxd
For the perpetrator, rape lasts just a matter of minutes. For the victim, it never stops.
What makes a man? What makes a community stand with someone no matter what? What makes a community?
Beartown, a small town somewhere in the woods with its hay days long past, is a community ruled by one thing: ice hockey. Everything comes back to that sport. One's friends and acquaintances, your social standing, the hopes for the town's future. So when someone from their up and coming junior team does something to threaten what people want this town to be, alliances are built and things are brought to light about Beartown.
Most of us probably heard of football players who did a rape and got away with it even though the evidence spoke against them. This book highlights stories like this by pointing out how the way masculinity is interpreted by society can influence someone to do a rape. We get to know all the characters surrounding the guy who did it and we see why and how people react upon finding out. From the parents of the girl struggling to come to terms with what happened to people keeping secrets as to not get shunned from the in-group again, from the parents of the boy being of two different opinions to people claiming the girl is lying. We see what we always see in actual situations like this: people being divided and doing a lot of victim blaming.
So, yes, this book is definitely more on the triggering side but for everyone who can deal with reading about this Beartown offers an interesting and proper look at a situation in which a sports person is accused of having assaulted someone. But it doesn't just talk about that.
This book shows us not only how toxic masculinity creates rape culture, it also shows us how it influences people's opinions on others (be it where they're from, their age, their talents, and more) and also how it effects those in the in-group that aren't exactly what people around them want them to be which leads to secrets that could hurt the one keeping them if they ever came out.
It also shows the connection between toxic masculinity and being an avid fan of a sports team. If anyone has ever walked around a train station of a big city in Europa after a soccer game you probably know a bit what I mean. Make sports fans thinking they own the place, that they are always the most right, and not to forget how being in this aggressively "manly" groups often leads to catcalling and more.
In Beartown we see this in the way politics of the city are shaped by ice hockey, how the team and everyone surrounding it reacts to the rape that happened, how there is "locker room talk" happening a lot, and more. Everyone thinks politics and hockey don't work together but it's actually a lot more political than people want to admit.
Towards the end of the book there is even an older woman yelling at a man for not understanding that men make bullshit social rules to pin blame for things on others. Be it religion, guns, or in the case of rape - men don't want to admit that the responsibility lies with them and how they raise other men.
One thing that also plays into this is what someone says to the character Benji later on in the book as well. That he's this strong and everything because he was raised in a household of women, as he has three older sisters and his dad died when he was quite young. And while Benji is definitely not a psychologically healthy teen he does have it going for him that he knows better what's right and wrong than many of the adult men in the city who probably think that Benji is a fucked up person because he didn't have a male role model.
Talking about Benji, and this is where we get into slight spoilers so skip this paragraph if you don't want those, he is an interesting character in a story that highlights toxic masculinity. Over the course of the book we find out that, while he is always seen as such a dangerous guy who girls would love to have, he's gay. He definitely struggles with that. He knows what he is and his sisters know as well but it's still not easy for him. Growing up in a community in which sexist and homophobic jokes are a common thing because the men saying them don't understand the impact of those, Benji does a lot to keep himself in control so people won't find out. But also so he doesn't have to lose hockey. We see Benji intentionally hurting himself a couple of times so he won't give in to his desires or show emotions he can't properly deal with. In general Benji is actually a decent person who sadly turned years ago into an absolute wildcard because it helped him stay part of the Beartown and hockey communities. To be honest, I was afraid how his story would turn out and while I wouldn't actually call it "happy" he does have a thing with another boy for a short time and thankfully allows himself to actually feel a bit, even though when he first meets the guy he lied to his sister saying that he wasn't his type because he didn't dare to let his feelings bubble up. The whole thing though is why I kind of want someone to tell me if Benji's story in the sequel ends good. It's a proper ending in Beartown based on how he deals with anything but still I want him to be happier. I don't need another dead or self-denying gay character, which are two things I'll always fear in stories containing queer characters, and I'm still worried this might happen to him. Overall though I think his story is handled well and appropriately in the context of this story.
Beartown as an exploration of the problems created through the underlying toxic masculinity in society does have a lot more to offer than that though. While it is the main focus of the story we do have a few more things that are discussed. Loyalty being one of the biggest topics as it does play into the topic of toxic masculinity. What makes loyalty and at what point do you need to stop? Who are you loyal to and is there a hierarchy to your loyalty?
There are many types of loyalty in Beartown. One of the most important one is obviously the one between team mates. If you get told from a young age that you need to be loyal to your team you will eventually even be that if you don't necessarily agree with whatever they say. They're your family outside your family and when they get threatened you fight whoever threatens them. Beartown does explore this to point out how and why a team will often stand behind their player if he did something horrendous. But the book goes further and also points out how fragile this loyalty can be when friendship and other things are or might be involved. From one best friend turning away from this loyalty because he knows how wrong and disgusting the other acted, to people finding close friendship bonds in the team and through that realizing that the "if you aren't for us you are against us" attitude doesn't solve anything.
Friendships are another type of loyalty in this story and especially when something like a rape happens, friendships can and will break even between best friends because of things said afterwards. Or sometimes the friendship gets even stronger. Most of us probably heard of supposed best girl friends leaving their friend in the dust after said friend was raped. The amount of gossiping and girls playing into sexist hierarchies after something like this happened is why I was afraid for the best friend to leave her friend alone here as well. Thankfully she didn't and both girls are there to be each other's rock. We have two teenage girls who are quite different but who just know each other better than anyone and wouldn't give anything to lose what they have.
People who would claim that they wouldn't give anything away for their loyalty are those people who say they support the team but in the end all they care about is money and recognition. Many people in Beartown support their team until things actually fall apart. Loyalty is fragile and when certain players leave you recognize who actually supports the team and who only favors the best and wants to win. This gets especially obvious at the end of the story when players leave for another team and a huge chunk of Beartown doesn't support their town's team anymore. Only one of the adults who was already involved beforehand still clings to the team because for him this town's team is important, no matter the player.
Also hooligans of some sort play a role in this story. And their loyalties lie with the team until the bitter end. They do want what's best for it even though their methods are despicable to say the least. But they're also loyal to an older woman running a pub. Here lies the hierarchy of loyalty. If you really trust someone you might decide in a situation against what you would usually choose. And having had support from someone when no one else cared is definitely a good way to earn loyalty.
But with this we also come full circle again as this loyalty raised from being taken care of only existed because of how these people were treated when they were younger and how they were raised by society. Aggression and violence are the language of toxic masculinity as it becomes the only way to get any feelings out if you don't know how to handle things otherwise. At various moments in this book you will find this.
But you will also find aggression and violence as the language of grief and frustration.
Talking about language, Backman does a good job at showing us how people's use of language is influenced by what's happening around them. We got the rich adult trying to bribe people and changing how they speak depending on who is in front of them. We got the language used in hockey locker rooms and such to push people into certain directions. We got the language of someone grieving for what happened. But we also got the language of people who have been taught to see the lie when people speak the truth.
One of the first things we'll come across after the rape is brought to light for the public is the difference in terminology regarding both people involved: "the boy" and "the young woman". We got here, plain as day, a way of talking that is supposed to push the blame on someone who should be more responsible according to their ascribed age range. We see this a lot as well with black teens being judged harder in court than their white counterparts because they are seen as older at a younger age. We have a different situation here but similar methods of creating opinions. The girl is younger than the boy but because of her gender and "boys will be boys" she gets put in the position of the older, more responsible one. This also plays into society's view on the maturity of girls. We always say that girls mature faster when in fact boys are allowed to be immature for far longer.
In general, this book parallels many moments in real life in which we realize how far people will go to keep the status quo after sexual assault has happened. From people claiming it should have been discussed in private to teens thinking of killing themselves, from people never using the girl's name anymore to her just being called a "bitch".
I could point out even more and in more detail but I would recommend to read this book yourself. The story mostly lives from the way it is written though. Backman uses fake-outs a lot, telling us one thing and making us think something will happen a certain way when it ends differently. I personally think it adds to the story but I have seen people disliking this way of storytelling, which is absolutely fair. It won't work for everyone and especially if you have anxiety it might not be that healthy for you. Keep that in mind if you decide to read this.
I also have to say that there were a few info dump moments towards the end of the story that felt more like an afterthought. It would have been better to have more hints at some in some way before.
Backman also tells the story by asking the reader questions and constantly breaking the fourth wall. It's really enjoyable in my opinion and adds to the story, as it will pull the reader deeper into the context and hopefully also make them think about what they would do in a situation like this. Having a story that reflects important social topics of our time works well in this way of writing. There are a couple of repetitions but I feel like in those cases I'm just being really nitpicky.
What I really loved is that even though I read the English translation it was easy to see how beautifully simple the writing is. Usually reading translations can give you a different experience as reading something in its original language does. But I would say that because of how Backman writes the translations works well without having to find complicated ways to say something, which is often the case and which can take away from the story the way the author intended. Maybe there are a few things that were translated in a very American way, at least I thought so until I read the word "lass", so it might not be the case.
Overall this book is a great example of what I personally want from a contemporary. It should make me feel, it should remind me of real life and maybe also comment on it. While I wouldn't consider this story to be entirely perfect as it's difficult to do with a topic like sexual assault, it's close. Also, while telling us about the different opinions in the town and why people have them, this book clearly states the horror of rape and that it is horrible. Some people have called this book "objective" but I disagree. It plays with objectivity as it fits with the way people in the story want to handle things but we do know things are bad, that objectivity in the face of sexual assault is not possible.
---
Trigger warnings: sexual assault, victim blaming, boys will be boys, sexist and homophobic jokes, self-hate, thoughts of suicide, guns, violence, sport related violence, the general things said when someone accuses someone of a rape, neglecting parents, abusive parents, emotional abusive parents, grief leading to violence, mentions of a dead child, general toxic masculinity
___
Disclaimer: Everything is my opinion. I wasn't asked or paid to talk about this book or anything mentioned.
Follow me: Instagram | Goodreads | Letterboxd
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