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.
He doesn’t say anything, just stands there with his eyes half open and his hair a mess, as if they’d started the fight next to the bench he’d spent the night sleeping under.
January 26, 2026 at 7:37 AM
He doesn’t say anything, just stands there with his eyes half open and his hair a mess, as if they’d started the fight next to the bench he’d spent the night sleeping under.
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.
January 26, 2026 at 3:37 AM
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.
How important can something like that be? In most places, not so important, of course. But Beartown isn’t most places.
January 25, 2026 at 11:36 PM
How important can something like that be? In most places, not so important, of course. But Beartown isn’t most places.
“Love that gets out of control / The most intense adventures / I hope you find your way out / I hope you’re the kind of person / Who gets a happy ending”
January 25, 2026 at 7:36 PM
“Love that gets out of control / The most intense adventures / I hope you find your way out / I hope you’re the kind of person / Who gets a happy ending”
Bobo was with them but changed sides at the last minute. If he hadn’t taken such a severe beating for his new friend, they might well have killed Amat. That fight isn’t over yet.
January 25, 2026 at 3:36 PM
Bobo was with them but changed sides at the last minute. If he hadn’t taken such a severe beating for his new friend, they might well have killed Amat. That fight isn’t over yet.
“You and I don’t judge each other, Teemu. We never have. But children are the only people who don’t have to take responsibility for anyone but themselves. The rest of us have to take responsibility for the things we cause to happen.”
January 25, 2026 at 11:36 AM
“You and I don’t judge each other, Teemu. We never have. But children are the only people who don’t have to take responsibility for anyone but themselves. The rest of us have to take responsibility for the things we cause to happen.”
If you want something from a person, you need to understand what motivates him, and Teemu is a protector.
January 25, 2026 at 7:36 AM
If you want something from a person, you need to understand what motivates him, and Teemu is a protector.
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.
January 25, 2026 at 3:36 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.
But communities are like ice, not water. They don't suddenly flow in new directions because you ask them to, they change inch by inch, like glaciers. Sometimes they don't move at all.
January 24, 2026 at 11:36 PM
But communities are like ice, not water. They don't suddenly flow in new directions because you ask them to, they change inch by inch, like glaciers. Sometimes they don't move at all.
But Teemu takes a step back, his shoulders sink, and he lowers his head, making himself as small as possible. "I just want to help," he says.
January 24, 2026 at 7:36 PM
But Teemu takes a step back, his shoulders sink, and he lowers his head, making himself as small as possible. "I just want to help," he says.
Dear God, how we hoped. Naive dreams are love’s last line of defense, so somehow we always convince ourselves that no terrible tragedies will ever afflict those we love, and that our people will succeed in escaping fate.
January 24, 2026 at 3:36 PM
Dear God, how we hoped. Naive dreams are love’s last line of defense, so somehow we always convince ourselves that no terrible tragedies will ever afflict those we love, and that our people will succeed in escaping fate.
It’s easy for children to love hockey, because you don’t have time to think when you’re playing it. Memory loss is one of the finest things sports can give us.
January 24, 2026 at 11:36 AM
It’s easy for children to love hockey, because you don’t have time to think when you’re playing it. Memory loss is one of the finest things sports can give us.
You want to understand hockey towns? Then you need to understand that here, sport is about much more than sport.
January 24, 2026 at 7:35 AM
You want to understand hockey towns? Then you need to understand that here, sport is about much more than sport.
Teemu grins. So does she, eventually. Because she knows what he means. Win. That’s all anyone ever asks of you around here.
January 24, 2026 at 3:36 AM
Teemu grins. So does she, eventually. Because she knows what he means. Win. That’s all anyone ever asks of you around here.
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.
January 23, 2026 at 11:35 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.
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.
January 23, 2026 at 7:35 PM
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.
Many years have passed since then, and she still hasn’t gotten used to the cold in Beartown, but she has learned to love the town for what it is.
January 23, 2026 at 3:35 PM
Many years have passed since then, and she still hasn’t gotten used to the cold in Beartown, but she has learned to love the town for what it is.
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.
January 23, 2026 at 11:34 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.
In the end he isn’t breathing at all. There’s a long period of silence. Then a single shot echoes between the trees.
January 23, 2026 at 7:33 AM
In the end he isn’t breathing at all. There’s a long period of silence. Then a single shot echoes between the trees.
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.
January 23, 2026 at 3:33 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.
When Benji gets to the Bearskin that evening, there’s a beer waiting for him on the bar. He drinks it, with Vidar and Teemu standing beside him. They manage to make it feel almost like normal. Perhaps it will be, one day.
January 22, 2026 at 11:33 PM
When Benji gets to the Bearskin that evening, there’s a beer waiting for him on the bar. He drinks it, with Vidar and Teemu standing beside him. They manage to make it feel almost like normal. Perhaps it will be, one day.
Benji’s weaker than he used to be, his big sister notes, but she also notes other things: when he first came home from his travels last week his eyes were lighter, as if they had gone pale in the sun on sandy beaches, but now they’re dark again.
January 22, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Benji’s weaker than he used to be, his big sister notes, but she also notes other things: when he first came home from his travels last week his eyes were lighter, as if they had gone pale in the sun on sandy beaches, but now they’re dark again.
If you want something from a person, you need to understand what motivates him, and Teemu is a protector.
January 22, 2026 at 3:33 PM
If you want something from a person, you need to understand what motivates him, and Teemu is a protector.
As a child he always loved the summer, when the foliage lets boys hide in trees without being seen from the ground.
January 22, 2026 at 11:32 AM
As a child he always loved the summer, when the foliage lets boys hide in trees without being seen from the ground.
It’s not a march, it’s not a noisy demonstration, and if Peter had asked, they would have pretended not to understand. “What do you mean? No, no, it’s just a coincidence!”
January 22, 2026 at 7:32 AM
It’s not a march, it’s not a noisy demonstration, and if Peter had asked, they would have pretended not to understand. “What do you mean? No, no, it’s just a coincidence!”