Contemporary

When you don’t know who to trust, you can’t outrun the storms or your past. Rowan is her nephews’ only hope of surviving the harrowing storms threatening to destroy the earth. She would do anything to protect them, including seeking refuge on a military vessel under an assumed identity. On their journey to safety, she and the boys stumble upon an unconscious stranger. When Sam awakens in Rowan’s care, he’s given a chance at a fresh start. A man haunted by mistakes he made during the storms, he’s searching for redemption. He assumes the role of father and husband, hiding with them on the ship, hoping his old life never resurfaces. They both have secrets—deep, dark things that can hurt their newfound family. Their floating refuge soon turns dangerous when the desire for power turns the people they depended on against them. Neither of them can outrun their past. Now they find themselves trapped out at sea, trusting no one but each other.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove returns with a dazzling, profound novel about a small town with a big dream—and the price required to make it come true. People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys. Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected. Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.