The Winners

"I utterly believed in the residents of Beartown, and felt ripped apart by the events in the book" - JOJO MOYES

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO STAND TOGETHER? 

‘It’s often said that winners write history, but there are no winners here’

This is a small story about big questions.

It's a story about family, community, life. 

It starts with a storm - and a death. 

But how does it end?  

Two years have passed since the events that no one wants to think about. Everyone has tried to move on, but there’s something about this place that prevents it. The residents continue to grapple with life’s big questions: What is a family? What is a community? And what, if anything, are we willing to sacrifice in order to protect them?

As the locals of Beartown struggle to overcome the past, great change is on the horizon. Someone is coming home after a long time away. Someone will be laid to rest. Someone will fall in love, someone will try to fix their marriage, and someone will do anything to save their children. Someone will submit to hate, someone will fight, and someone will grab a gun and walk towards the ice rink.

So what are the residents of Beartown willing to sacrifice for their home?

Everything.

"This is a stunning read that plunges you into another world. Backman writes with incredible sensitivity and insight. Every one of the characters is real and multi-faceted, having you breathlessly turning the pages, following their fears and hopes, fretting for their futures. This is storytelling at its best: Emotional, vivid, wise and utterly brilliant" - HAZEL PRIOR

"Surrounded by impenetrable forests, Beartown recreates the stifling atmosphere of a dying community. A mature, compassionate novel" - SUNDAY TIMES

"Backman can tickle the funny bone and tug on the heart strings when he needs to, and is a clever enough storyteller to not overindulge in either" - INDEPENDENT

"As popular Swedish exports go, Backman is up there with ABBA and Stieg Larsson" - THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

"Backman is a masterful writer" - KIRKUS REVIEW