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A review by nikimorr
The Winners by Fredrik Backman
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Beartown has always been one of my favorite fictional towns to visit.
I will say, I had a harder time with Winners versus the first two books in the Beartown series. Fredrik Bachman has so many deep, powerful, and thought-provoking messages to relay; however, sometimes it can feel like these deeper messages bog down the story and slow the development of plot. The ending, despite the length of the book, felt like a rush - as if most of the book was asking the reader to contemplate these deeper messages that the plot had to all be thrown in at once at the end. The ending was foreshadowed throughout, almost like you knew the ending before it happened, but it took about 600 pages to get there. Overall, I was not entranced by the storyline.
All this to say, I still love the Beartown series. I always leave these books with a feeling of understanding and appreciation of community. The good, the bad, and the ugly in us and within our communities. Nothing is ever black and white, and I appreciate that recognition in this fictional town and within their relationships. As is said frequently by Lev - good people can do very bad things, and bad people can do very good things.
A question Frederik Backman always takes us back to: why don’t we believe and support our women victims? It’s a real issue in today’s society, and I appreciate a male voice recognizing and questioning it.
SPOILERS. My favorite addition to this final book was the introduction of Hannah and Johnny. I found them to be far more relatable than most characters and both sweet and heartwarming to read about - a couple very much in love, with wildly important and time consuming careers testing which often test the balance of their family.
SPOILERS. Another addition I both appreciated and hated was Bang, Sune’s dog. As an avid animal lover, I felt every word about the love a person can have for a pet. Sune puts it best - was he my dog, or was I really his human? The animal abuse and death of Bang had me also hating this chapter - nothing gets to me more.
SPOILERS. The evolution of Matteo was both terrifying and fascinating. Well done by Fredrik Backman for creating an “enemy” that made the reader, at least sort of, understand how he got to a place of doing something so horrifying and to get you questioning the role that everyone played in shaping the events that led to the horrible gun violence ending the series.
I will say, I had a harder time with Winners versus the first two books in the Beartown series. Fredrik Bachman has so many deep, powerful, and thought-provoking messages to relay; however, sometimes it can feel like these deeper messages bog down the story and slow the development of plot. The ending, despite the length of the book, felt like a rush - as if most of the book was asking the reader to contemplate these deeper messages that the plot had to all be thrown in at once at the end. The ending was foreshadowed throughout, almost like you knew the ending before it happened, but it took about 600 pages to get there. Overall, I was not entranced by the storyline.
All this to say, I still love the Beartown series. I always leave these books with a feeling of understanding and appreciation of community. The good, the bad, and the ugly in us and within our communities. Nothing is ever black and white, and I appreciate that recognition in this fictional town and within their relationships. As is said frequently by Lev - good people can do very bad things, and bad people can do very good things.
A question Frederik Backman always takes us back to: why don’t we believe and support our women victims? It’s a real issue in today’s society, and I appreciate a male voice recognizing and questioning it.
SPOILERS. My favorite addition to this final book was the introduction of Hannah and Johnny. I found them to be far more relatable than most characters and both sweet and heartwarming to read about - a couple very much in love, with wildly important and time consuming careers testing which often test the balance of their family.
SPOILERS. Another addition I both appreciated and hated was Bang, Sune’s dog. As an avid animal lover, I felt every word about the love a person can have for a pet. Sune puts it best - was he my dog, or was I really his human? The animal abuse and death of Bang had me also hating this chapter - nothing gets to me more.
SPOILERS. The evolution of Matteo was both terrifying and fascinating. Well done by Fredrik Backman for creating an “enemy” that made the reader, at least sort of, understand how he got to a place of doing something so horrifying and to get you questioning the role that everyone played in shaping the events that led to the horrible gun violence ending the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Stalking, Murder, Classism