Fredrik Backman concludes his extraordinary trilogy with its marvellous sense of location as we are once again immersed, this time for the last time, in the hockey obsessed Swedish forest towns of Beartown and Hed, and at almost 800 pages long we are in for quite a read as we catch up with the lives both of familiar characters and new. The first page comes as a shock, it is two years on, and people are finding it hard to move on from the past. The novel opens with the worst storm in a generation, the responses to which show the best of the forest folk as they help and support each other, a storm with hard hitting repercussions. I am not a hockey fan myself, but this trilogy is really all about the characters, with all their vulnerabilities, feelings, strengths and flaws, family, small town living and community, the trials and tribulations, and the challenges that life throws at us. It is this that Backman excels in, with his humanity and his indepth understanding, compassion towards and astute observations of people.

We return to and follow the characters that have embedded themselves in my memories, such as Benji, Maya, Ramona, Ana, Amat, Bobo, Alicia, and Sune, in this riveting story of the everyday lives, hockey, the struggle to survive, problematic families, being parents, difficulties in marriages, tragedies, losses, love, violence, drugs and drink, all elements of almost any small community. This is an intensely emotional heartbreaking rollercoaster with its fast moving shifts between the characters and the many different scenarios. There is the loss of the ice hockey roof, and the dark drama of the political machinations, corruption, 'dirty money', and criminality, and the rising conflict and tensions between Beartown and Hed. Through it all, I was completely engaged in the ins and outs, ups and downs (and there were many lows) of the stories of the characters that I am now forced to say farewell to.

One of the reasons why the Beartown trilogy resonates so deeply is the universality and familiarity of the themes to be found here, so many small town communities are defined by the love of their sports teams and often plagued by similar issues. Backman's true talent lies in the dazzling array of disparate characters, the good and the bad, that he created and developed through this incredible series and which had me gripped as I follow what happened to them, for example, after all that Maya had been through, I was so caught up with and impressed by her measured response to Kevin after she accidentally bumps into him again at the end. I think many readers, particular fans of the series, will love this too, even if it did have me in tears, and whilst this is a long read, the pages simply flew by. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

In a Nutshell: A fitting finale to one of the best series of recent years. Slow paced, thought-provoking, exhilarating, depressing, brilliant. This is literary fiction at its finest. Take a bow, Mr. Backman.

“All communities are the sum of their choices and all that holds us together in the end are our stories.”
You know the communities this quote refers to – Beartown and Hed. You know the stories of their residents – the famous and the not-so-famous, the achievers and the strugglers, the hockey fanatics and the uninterested. You know the choices they made and the sides they took so far. But you also know that when there are two aspects to a coin, more often than not, only one side can be the winner. If there is a winner at all.

Two years have passed since the incidents of ‘Beartown.’ Most of the characters we met in that story are still here, trying their best to put those dark days behind them and focus on what matters most in their lives – hockey, family, community. But we all know of the butterfly effect. Someone a long time ago made a wrong choice, and the repercussions of that tiny flutter will be seen now, in Beartown and in Hed, in the stormy chaos (both natural and manmade) that will drive the communities apart as strongly as will bring them together again. Will the result of these proceedings function as a stopgap arrangement or like a more permanent kintsugi? Only time will tell.

The book is written in typical Backman style. After completing this volume, I reread my reviews of ‘Beartown’ and ‘Us Against You’ (UAY) and was stunned to find how much of my feedback applies to ‘The Winners’ too. (That ought to prove how consistent Backman has been with this series.) It begins just as slowly. Even until the halfway mark, I was not sure where Backman was going with the multitude of tracks. But once the book crosses the 60% mark, the jigsaw picture starts making an appearance, and was I blown away or what! There are so many moments when I felt like yelling, "C'mon Backman! Blurt it out already!" There were also moments when I simply stared at the screen, not wanting to go ahead, too scared to confirm what I knew was coming. I found it tough to remember that this mammoth-sized tome covers just a fortnight, but it’s a fortnight that changes things forever.

For a 688 page book, having a slow first half means you are reading more than 300 pages of build-up. But even this build-up is so beautifully written. Backman inserts his literary flourishes and his musings in such a way that you can’t help but pause and ponder over them. If I were highlighting my favourite quotes, I am sure I would have noted more than a hundred. There are some dragged scenes, but that is inevitable in a book of this lengths. As always, there is plenty of foreshadowing, so you get a fair cue of what’s yet to unfurl. Let me forewarn you, not all the presages in the world can help prepare you for the outcome. The very first foreshadowing is right on page one, and it is going to shock you into disbelief.

I am sure you remember the key players – Peter, Kira, Maya and Leo; Ana; Benji and his sisters; Bobo and his family; Amat and his mom; Sune; Elizabeth Zackell; Ramona, Teemu and the Pack, and dare I forget little Alicia. The characters are etched so well that more than a year after I read UAY, I still remember all of them well and didn't need any refresher before beginning this final installment of the series. Every single one of them not just appears in this book but is also given an equal focus and a fitting send-off. Whether deserving or not, I won’t tell you, but Backman makes them all “the winners” in the way only he can. At the same time, we do meet new characters. Some of them stay nameless throughout, just like in the first two books. Of the new entrants, Johnny, Hannah and their family entrenched themselves strongly in my heart. What an amazing family!

One cannot forget the two non-human characters that created the right atmosphere throughout this series – the towns of Beartown and Hed. With the first book being named after the former, we all unwittingly aligned ourselves with the bears from Beartown. But it is through this book that we acknowledge Hed not as the villain but as the other side of the same coin. (India-Pakistan vibes, anyone?) I loved how Backman strengthened the Beartown-Hed bond without compromising on the rivalry between them. I could have done with a little less of the political elements (which were also present in UAY), but where there is money, fame, and rivalry, there is politics; wishing it away doesn’t make it disappear.

This book simply can't be read as a standalone. It is meant to be the last of a linked series, and only therein lies its purpose. If you haven't read Beartown AND Us Against You, this book won't make any sense to you. Better begin with book 1 and proceed sequentially through this amazing literary opus.

In short (hahaha, calling this review "short" has to be a joke!), this ALMOST gave me the finale I wanted for this beloved series. I am not happy with a couple of the subtracks, but I also acknowledge that they were the best possible outcomes for those characters/situations. The Backman Brain is unparalleled in plotting, and this entire trilogy proves it.

4.5 stars. Book one remains my favourite, but this is as fabulous (and ponderous) as UAY.

My heartfelt thanks to Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Winners”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Is there a more terrifying and exhilarating experience than reading for the very first time a book you've been waiting for for years?
This reminded me of teenage-me opening the last Harry Potter book for the first time, always wanting to jump a few pages ahead and know what really was going to happen!

Honestly, the Beartown series is my very favourite one. Never, in any other books (and I've read quite a lot, I dare say) have I met such profoundly human characters, and never have I felt such deep sorrow, grief or joy for them.

The Winners sets the tone very early on: you're going to cry, you know it from the first chapter, and yet, somehow, you still get caught completely by surprise when you start sobbing.

I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I'm keeping my review very vague on purpose (which is very hard, I just want someone to yell, shout and cry with – anyone!!!), but let me tell you: your heart will be broken, mended, broken again, mended again... and broken. again.

There are moments in this book that are so happy that it felt almost too intimate to read about them. Moments of friendship, of first love, of jokes (ties are gay!) that hit just the right way and make your heart feel all warm and fuzzy.

But as usual, Backman doesn't back up from the ugly sides of life. You'll encounter grief, pain, revenge, profound injustice.

All of this in the space of one book, not even 700 pages.

It's a breathtaking book, one that will make you want to hug all the characters and never let go, one that will make you feel things you didn't even know a book (a book! it's just paper and words!!!) could make you feel... and one that will leave you sobbing for hours (trust me, I had to hug my dog extra hard to feel slightly normal again).

I will always remember the Beartown series as the one that taught me books could make me feel so deeply, and I am very much looking forward to reading them, again and again.

Millions of thanks to Ariele Fredman, NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Actual rating 4.5 stars.

I wish I could dedicate this review to Benji, this tough and apparently indifferent boy whose heart is bigger than anyone else’s. Sadly, I can’t because I’d spoil too much. Oh, Benji …

I’ve said it a million times; I don’t like third-person, present tense writing. Period! Until Fredrik Backman comes along with his helicopter-written stories. Bam!! Suddenly I don’t care because I’m in awe.

Fredrik Backman just pulls you in, switching from left to right, jumping from one character to the other, telling so many things we know but keep buried deep inside. About parenthood, about politics, about expectations, about rage and grief. He’s the master of the masters in pinpointing those topics. But what about Beartown, I hear you think? What about Maya, Ana, Bobo, Amat, Leo, and of course Benji? What about them?

I hoped that The Winners would be the best conclusion of the Beartown series I could have hoped for. And in a lot of ways, it is. But … there was one thing I was mad about. I was so disappointed and can’t even tell why because of spoilers. So, I decided to rate this final book 4.5 stars and rounded it down.

So, Beartown and its people …

When I read the first page, my heart immediately thudded in my throat, and all I could think of was no, no, no!! The Winners is set two years after the second book, and so much is happening. The story starts with a massive storm, and I felt the rage of this storm in the people of Beartown and Hed until this rage entered my heart, almost destroying it. At times my heart lifted up, and a smile tugged at my lips, especially at that one scene at the ice rink, and the scenes afterward with the campervan. But do you know this ache when you almost cry out of love and know it will end? So, when the blow came, my rage came tumbling back and peaked, and my heart cried no, no, no! Alicia, the young playful, and innocent girl, helped mend my heart a little, just a littler. And therefore, I dedicate this review to Alicia and the boy who lay next to her on the ice rink. Aw, how I loved them and will always love them …

4+

Whilst some part of me was thrilled to be back in Beartown, there was another part that wasn't ready for this all to be over.
Backman weaves his story so well, bringing in new faces and stories, and blending them perfectly with old stories and faces.
I hadn't realised how much I missed Ana, Maya and Benji until they were in front of me again.
I will admit, before the end, I shed more than a few tears.
It's a big book, but I could have happily had a few more.