Now an HBO Original Series 'You'll love this engrossing novel.' 'People Named a Best Book of the Year by LibraryReads; BookBrowse; and Goodreads From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anxious People; a dazzling and profound novel about a small town with a big dream'and the price required to make it come true. By the lake in Beartown is an old ice rink; and in that ice rink Kevin; Amat; Benji; and the rest of the town's junior ice hockey team are about to compete in the national semi-finals'and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys. Under that heavy burden; the match becomes the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and; like ripples on a pond; they travel through all of Beartown. This is a story about a town and a game; but even more about loyalty; commitment; and the responsibilities of friendship; the people we disappoint even though we love them; and the decisions we make every day that come to define us. In this story of a small forest town; Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.