Beartown

The novel is set in Beartown, a small village in Sweden that is on a downward slope economically. The factory that employs a vast number of its inhabitants is laying people off, and businesses are shuttering. A chain grocery store has driven the smaller shops out of business. The citizens of Beartown see the hockey team as a point of pride and the means of a better future. Should the junior team win at finals, it is thought that the regional government would choose to open a new hockey academy there, which would bring in an influx of new businesses. Thus when the team loses, it is a crushing defeat for Beartown on numerous levels.

Beartown is a tight-knit community, but there are positive and negative aspects to this. Everyone knows everyone else, and people look out for each other. However, this closeness becomes a hindrance to justice...