Medvědín – Backman Fredrik (2018)

This Czech-language novel by the author of A Man Called Ove follows a small town whose future depends on victory at the junior ice hockey championship. For most people, such a victory means little, but for the residents of Beartown it could attract government funding and talented athletes, giving the declining town a chance to compete with larger communities in the region. The result means everything to Amat, a skinny teenager bullied everywhere except on the ice; to Kevin, the junior team’s star player, who stands on the brink of a brilliant future in the NHL; and to Peter, the devoted sports director of Beartown HC, whose own professional hockey career ended in tragedy. The team has a chance to fulfil the dreams of the entire town. Then, one night while celebrating their semifinal victory, something happens between Kevin and Peter’s daughter, and everything changes. Accusations spread through Beartown like ripples across a pond. In the pursuit of team success, it becomes difficult to distinguish truth from lies, blind loyalty from genuine trust. In the end, one young man must find the courage to say aloud what no one seems willing to hear.