If the subject matter seems cliche, it is with good reason. Whether hockey or football, where is the line between lessons learned and the sport taking over until it reigns, esp. in a small town. Backman's characters are well-fleshed and the story is real. His foreshadowing is spot-on, just enough to retain interest and then dropped when the reader needs to be in the moment. I did not want to put this book down.
