Beartown

Even amid the novel’s largely hockey-themed plotlines, the author finds multiple ways to emphasize the psychologically and socially damaging nature of secrets, as many of the characters’ actions are motivated by shame, guilt, and regret. Ironically, the secrets in Beartown often cause the most damage to those who attempt to keep them hidden. As some secrets come to light while others remain buried, it is clear that only those characters who find the courage to voice the truth are able to maintain their integrity and ultimately move on with their lives.

The exposition of the novel establishes the fact that many of the characters are already harboring secrets or unresolved emotions. For example, several of the coaches carry lingering regrets over their past failures to fully realize their goals in the world of hockey, and this emotion affects their actions in the present. On a more serious note, Maya’s parents both feel intense guilt over the fact that they were unable to prevent the death of their son, Isak, and this unspoken anguish complicates their reaction to Maya’s experience with rape. The novel implies that they feel equally guilty over being unable to protect her from the cruelties of the world either.