beartown
@beartownbot.bsky.social
— quotes from “beartown”, “us against you”, and “the winners” by fredrik backman ; pfp credit:
@painacotta.bsky.social
@painacotta.bsky.social
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beartown
@beartownbot.bsky.social
· Jan 2
Late one evening toward the end of March, a teenager picked up a double-barreled shotgun, walked into the forest, put the gun to someone else’s forehead, and pulled the trigger. This is the story of how we got there.
For the first time in a very long time, Aleksandr loves something about hockey again.
December 8, 2025 at 6:05 PM
For the first time in a very long time, Aleksandr loves something about hockey again.
Benji smokes his cigarette, and for a few moments he hates himself for coming back to the forest where this is all he is. Someone capable of violence. Someone to fear.
December 8, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Benji smokes his cigarette, and for a few moments he hates himself for coming back to the forest where this is all he is. Someone capable of violence. Someone to fear.
He was four years old that first time, but hockey told him straightaway that it was going to demand complete devotion from him. He loved it for that. And still does.
December 8, 2025 at 10:04 AM
He was four years old that first time, but hockey told him straightaway that it was going to demand complete devotion from him. He loved it for that. And still does.
If they spend their whole lives together, they might become the least suitable couple to encounter at a funeral: one who can’t stop making jokes and one who can’t stop giggling.
December 8, 2025 at 6:03 AM
If they spend their whole lives together, they might become the least suitable couple to encounter at a funeral: one who can’t stop making jokes and one who can’t stop giggling.
Amat hopes that one day he’s going to be good enough for hockey to take him and his mother away from here. For him sports are a future.
December 8, 2025 at 2:03 AM
Amat hopes that one day he’s going to be good enough for hockey to take him and his mother away from here. For him sports are a future.
These forests can suffocate a person if she's longing for something else, but how do you hold a family together if you think only about your own breathing?
December 7, 2025 at 10:01 PM
These forests can suffocate a person if she's longing for something else, but how do you hold a family together if you think only about your own breathing?
You want to understand hockey towns? Then you need to understand that here, sport is about much more than sport.
December 7, 2025 at 5:58 PM
You want to understand hockey towns? Then you need to understand that here, sport is about much more than sport.
So that no one thinks that Beartown is being shown any favoritism.
December 7, 2025 at 1:58 PM
So that no one thinks that Beartown is being shown any favoritism.
He’s long since given up hoping that anyone would be proud of him, but he hopes that at least Ramona didn’t think he was an embarrassment.
December 7, 2025 at 9:57 AM
He’s long since given up hoping that anyone would be proud of him, but he hopes that at least Ramona didn’t think he was an embarrassment.
So why does he carry on? Because he’s never considered any alternatives. It’s hard for a lot of people to remember the reasons why they started to love the thing they love, but it’s easy for Peter.
December 7, 2025 at 5:55 AM
So why does he carry on? Because he’s never considered any alternatives. It’s hard for a lot of people to remember the reasons why they started to love the thing they love, but it’s easy for Peter.
“Aren’t you going to the game?” “I’d rather go for a walk with you, Dad.”
December 7, 2025 at 1:55 AM
“Aren’t you going to the game?” “I’d rather go for a walk with you, Dad.”
Have you ever seen a town fall? Ours did. We’ll end up saying that violence came to Beartown this summer, but that will be a lie; the violence was already here. Because sometimes hating one another is so easy that it seems incomprehensible that we ever do anything else.
December 6, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Have you ever seen a town fall? Ours did. We’ll end up saying that violence came to Beartown this summer, but that will be a lie; the violence was already here. Because sometimes hating one another is so easy that it seems incomprehensible that we ever do anything else.
Even then, in the police station in Hed, she knew she would survive this. Even then she knew that her mom and dad wouldn’t. Parents don’t heal.
December 6, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Even then, in the police station in Hed, she knew she would survive this. Even then she knew that her mom and dad wouldn’t. Parents don’t heal.
Everything outside the rink, the cold and the darkness and the fact that his mom was ill and his dad would be drunk again when he got home... it all went quiet inside his head when he stepped onto the ice.
December 6, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Everything outside the rink, the cold and the darkness and the fact that his mom was ill and his dad would be drunk again when he got home... it all went quiet inside his head when he stepped onto the ice.
Benji tries to smile. Pretend it's nothing. But he can't quite stop himself from wondering how long he's going to have to be the best. How long it's going to take before anyone just lets him play.
December 6, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Benji tries to smile. Pretend it's nothing. But he can't quite stop himself from wondering how long he's going to have to be the best. How long it's going to take before anyone just lets him play.
The look in her eyes is hard, her voice brittle. "I refuse to be a victim. I'm a survivor."
December 6, 2025 at 9:50 AM
The look in her eyes is hard, her voice brittle. "I refuse to be a victim. I'm a survivor."
Amat is skulking by the shadow of the wall with his hockey bag on his back. Benji pulls up beside him in a time machine.
December 6, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Amat is skulking by the shadow of the wall with his hockey bag on his back. Benji pulls up beside him in a time machine.
Kevin was the star, Benji his protector. Brothers. The town loved Kevin’s hands, but they worshipped Benji’s fists.
December 6, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Kevin was the star, Benji his protector. Brothers. The town loved Kevin’s hands, but they worshipped Benji’s fists.
Even if Kevin is no longer in Beartown, they still have to reclaim the things he stole. Twilight. Solitude. The courage to wear earbuds when it's dark, the freedom to not look over your shoulder the whole time.
December 5, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Even if Kevin is no longer in Beartown, they still have to reclaim the things he stole. Twilight. Solitude. The courage to wear earbuds when it's dark, the freedom to not look over your shoulder the whole time.
Amat hopes that one day he’s going to be good enough for hockey to take him and his mother away from here. For him sports are a future.
December 5, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Amat hopes that one day he’s going to be good enough for hockey to take him and his mother away from here. For him sports are a future.
'Can I come back again tomorrow and do some more?' the four-and-a-half-year-old asks. Sune promises that she can.
December 5, 2025 at 12:00 PM
'Can I come back again tomorrow and do some more?' the four-and-a-half-year-old asks. Sune promises that she can.
Culture is as much about what we encourage as what we permit.
December 5, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Culture is as much about what we encourage as what we permit.
Teemu has never had a real parent, and there was no way in hell that Ramona was going to try to be one either, but insofar as she could express feelings and he could express them back, they did so by her laying down a few rules, and him sticking to them.
December 5, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Teemu has never had a real parent, and there was no way in hell that Ramona was going to try to be one either, but insofar as she could express feelings and he could express them back, they did so by her laying down a few rules, and him sticking to them.
But every cell in Benji’s body hears the oxygen being sucked out of the room. He stands still. The very fact that he’s come here might seem crazy, but he was never the sort of child who lay in bed afraid of ghosts and monsters.
December 5, 2025 at 12:00 AM
But every cell in Benji’s body hears the oxygen being sucked out of the room. He stands still. The very fact that he’s come here might seem crazy, but he was never the sort of child who lay in bed afraid of ghosts and monsters.
For two years they’ve wanted to know more about her, and now they know everything. Now she’s shown them what sort of animal she is.
December 4, 2025 at 8:01 PM
For two years they’ve wanted to know more about her, and now they know everything. Now she’s shown them what sort of animal she is.