The Winners - Fredrik Backman

⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Magdalene)

Wow. This book is hard for me to write about, but I'm going to give it a try. It's book 3 in the Beartown trilogy, and he's a chunky boy - almost 700 pages. I don't read 700 pages for just anyone, but obviously Fredrik Backman is an exception. It takes place over two weeks, two years after the end of book 2. Beartown and its hockey team have been doing well, but after a huge storm and two funerals, tensions are rising once again.

This isn't a book you read for the plot, as you're looking at the events in the town from so many different perspectives that it takes a while for anything to happen, but if you're on book 3 already I assume you're there for the characters. This book is similar to the first two in many ways - you follow the same beloved characters, it focuses on themes of sports, loyalty, toxic masculinity, friendship, and community, and it's still heart-wrenching and beautiful. But the time jump and shorter time-frame also set it apart, as our townspeople have changed off-page and not always for the better, and you know a lot is going to happen within just a few days.

I'm not going to say much more, other than to warn that this book is absolutely heart-breaking, and I have never cried as hard as I did when reading this book. I almost always hate sad books, but there's something about this series that makes me willing to accept things I wouldn't otherwise. I cannot stop thinking about this book. And I still think Backman is a master at creating realistic and flawed characters that you fall in love with, and showing all sides of humanity in a poignant, beautiful way.