A review by alouette
The Winners by Fredrik Backman

challenging emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 It's so easy for the wind to wreck our illusions that we're the ones making the decisions.

what can i say? even thinking about this book, weeks after reading it, has tears springing to my eyes. the long-winded prose is so honest and heartfelt, the characters and community so real, and each line break left me on the edge of my seat.

 Then he sleeps and dreams about time machines. Those are his worst nightmares.

the beartown trilogy, the winners especially, is a tapestry of the best and worst of humanity. and even in those worsts, even when you feel the saddest, even when tears are in your eyes, the book still manages to give you hope. 

 i've read so many books but this is the first one to make me truly believe that we'll find peace after death. that one day, we'll see our loved ones again. 

 It's that sort of town, where everything can change and the people can be transformed. Where we find the strength to play even though our lungs are screaming. Possibly because we're used to withstanding the darkness, both inside and outside. Possibly because we live close to wilderness. But perhaps most of all because, just like everyone else in every other place: If we don't have tomorrow, what's the alternative?

the most insane, beautiful, terribly true part of the ending that shattered my heart is that it doesn't break all the hopeful beginnings of something new that we get with each glimpse into the future. every scene and chapter is in its perfect place to let the reader know that even when things fracture, they won't shatter, and the world will still go on. 



'He's on the ice somewhere laughing now. He's playing hockey with his best friends. He's lying on his back looking at the stars. He isn't scared. In a hundred years you'll see him again, and tell him about all the things you've done. All about your fantastic life. All your adventures. He'll look forward to that.'

She lets someone play with the number 16 again. For one single game. 
Alicia gets up from the bench in the locker room and leads her team out and storms the ice, and Zackell watches her and for for a single moment forgets that it isn't him.



in less poetic terms- this book genuinely made me ugly cry for hours and everyone should definitely read it :') all i will ever want is to see amat and maya and benji happy
Expand filter menu Content Warnings