I would like to thank Michael Joseph and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Scandal’ by Fredrik Backman, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
At the end of March a teenager walks into the forest, puts a gun to someone’s forehead and pulls the trigger. This is the culmination of a brutal and thoughtless act towards a fifteen-year-old girl in Beartown, a small isolated town in Sweden where the residents live and breathe ice hockey, and which causes the residents to take sides.
Although this novel was slow to get to the main point of the story I found myself enjoying it and empathising with the main character of Maya and her parents, Peter and Kira. When the novel came to a conclusion it was gripping and full of suspense.

I'm a huge fan of Fredrik Backman and his wonderful quirky tales of curmudgeons such as Ove and Britt-Marie. The Scandal marks something of a departure for him, as it focuses on a far younger group of characters - the teenage players of the Beartown junior ice hockey team and their friends, families and coaches.
In a rundown town in the middle of a forest that seems to constantly be threatening to subsume it the minute the last business closes down, life isn't easy for the locals. Their one beacon of joy is ice hockey, for which it has a glittering track record, and which turns local boys into golden gods. When one of the teams' halos slips and he commits a horrendous crime, who will the town side with - the criminal or the victim? One thing is for sure, life will never be the same in Beartown.
Backman takes a heartbreaking tale and presents it beautifully. This is a book that will stay with you long after you finish the last page. The characters are wonderfully drawn and take him far from the grumpy pensioners of his earlier works. He handles a hard-hitting subject with a remarkably delicate touch, as he takes you on a hugely enjoyable emotional rollercoaster. This book will have you reaching for the tissues, developing a sudden interest in ice hockey and wishing this was the first in a whole series of stories about the inhabitants of Beartown.
I can't recommend this book enough. Such a fantastic read.

I seriously can't get enough of Fredrik's book he always manages to wisk u off to some amazing fairytale like state. Just amazing