Beartown Characters

Along with Zacharias, Lifa, 15, is one of Amat’s best friends. He rarely talks much. He quit playing hockey when he was younger because he couldn’t handle the locker-room banter.

Son of Peter and Kira and older brother of Maya, Isak died of an unnamed illness when he was very small, while the Anderssons were living in Canada. His death has haunted the family ever since.

Lars is Amat and Zacharias’s coach on the boys’ team; he also assists David with the junior team. His coaching technique mostly consists of constant yelling and the occasional crude joke.

Jeannette is a teacher in the high school. The hockey players in her class often speak disrespectfully to her. Jeannette is a critic of the excesses of the town’s hockey culture and is perceptive; she sees that Benji has a good heart, for instance, despite his self-destructive behavior.

Elisabeth is the wife of Tails.

Tails’s son is 12. He only appears in one scene, where he insults his sister with a joke involving rape. At this, Tails ends up tackling him and tearfully telling him that he needs to become a better man.

David’s girlfriend, who seldom appears in the story, is pregnant with their first child. She is often exasperated with his hockey obsession but accepts and supports him.

Hog is Bobo’s father. He is a car mechanic who owns a garage. He played hockey with Peter when they were boys, and they are still good friends. Hog is awkward in showing affection but is a good, loving dad.

Ann-Katrin is Hog’s wife and Bobo’s mom. She works as a nurse at the hospital in Hed and cares for Maya after the assault.

Holger was Ramona’s hockey-loving husband, a former goalie, who died of cancer 11 years ago.

Adri is Benji’s oldest sister, who runs a dog kennel in the forest. She helps start a girls’ hockey team with Sune.

Katia is Benji’s second-oldest sister. She works at The Barn, a bar in Hed.

Gaby is Benji’s youngest older sister, whose two children Benji adores.

Alan was Benji’s father, who committed suicide in the forest when Benji was a little boy. Benji routinely visits his grave in the cemetery, though his mom has never forgiven her late husband.

Benji’s mom is a widow, her husband Alan having committed suicide years ago. She’s never forgiven him for this. She is also the mother of Adri, Katia, and Gaby. She doesn’t appear much in the story, but is a quiet, loving, concerned presence in Benji’s life.

Maggan is hockey player William Lyt’s mother. She is an outspoken, opinionated supporter of the team and is among the loudest spectators at games. She is also one of the loudest accusers of Maya after the rape.

The caretaker is a kindly, elderly hockey rink employee. Amat helps him with heavier chores in exchange for extra ice time.

Filip is the smallest player on the junior team.

Filip’s mother is also best friends with Maggan Lyt, though she is much quieter and more restrained. She trained as an elite skier in her youth.

Ana’s father is divorced, and he and Ana have a mostly silent relationship. However, he taught Ana to hunt in the forest when she was a little girl, and he still sometimes takes her along on hunting trips.