I have been reading Fredrik Backman since A Man Called Ove. I mean reading everything he has ever written (including the novellas). So, when a friend suggested we go see him at a local library, I jumped at the chance. I have seen lots of author presentations (I call myself a bit of an author groupie), and his was one of the best. He was wonderful: well spoken, polite, humble, insightful, smart, and most of all, very funny. The event included a signed book, so I bought his latest The Winners.
The Winners concludes the trilogy started in Beartown. Backman joked that he still had a lot to say about the town, which is why the book is a massive almost 700 pages. I will admit to having read the other two a long time ago and being a person who can’t remember the plot of the book I finished last week, I was a little worried that I would feel lost. That was not the case, he does an excellent job of reminding you of the past two books without it feeling repetitive.
My favorite parts of this book are the wonderful little life insights that get thrown in here and there. The quote I used as the heading is one example. He says stuff like (paraphrasing here) you only have a child for 14 years and then you have a lodger. So much wisdom about parenting, families, and life in general (BTW this was also demonstrated in his answers to many of the questions at the event).
The story is not pretty. From page one there is foreshadowing of a tragedy and there is indeed a horrible tragedy at the end of the book. Like the previous two books there is violence and rape. Adults, teens, and young adults all behave badly, very badly, mostly in the name of hockey, but also for selfish reasons. You get easily drawn into the community and care about these characters, because the people are so real.
This book begins my Passport challenge with a book by an author from Sweden. Pictured is me getting my books signed by the author!
