The Winners - Fredrik Backman

Fredrick Backman has just released The Winners - the third book in his 'Beartown' trilogy. Backman is hands down one of my favorite authors. I have been (not so) patiently for this final chapter. 

Quick catch up for those who haven't read the first two. Beartown is a hard core hockey town where winning is everything. Beartown has a long standing rivalry with a neighboring village. The drive and animosity between the two has had shocking repercussions over the last few years. The basis of the novel is hockey, but at it's heart it is the story of the players, their families and supporters. It's the story of their plans, hopes, dreams, schemes wins and losses. And it is this exploration that has made the first two novels five star books for me. 

It is two years on in The Winners and the book takes place over the span of two weeks. Much can happen in a short time - and does. The cast of all three books is large and diverse, with the young players affecting me the most. In this latest the parents and adults are featured as well. Each and every story is poignant and so well written. And hard to listen to. Backman's books make the reader feel - and again I was moved to tears, shaking my fist in anger and my head in disgust. 

The books have an unnamed narrator who delivers some bombshell sentences that you don't see coming. The foreshadowing is razor sharp - and I was torn. I wanted to know what was next for the town, its rivals and residents. But, on the other hand, I didn't want to confirm it. 

I chose to listen to this latest. The reader was Marin Ireland - one of my favorites and a very versatile reader. She has a clean, clear voice that's easy to understand and pleasant to listen to. She's chosen a voice that suits the unnamed narrator - the bearer of good and bad. Sometimes her delivery is dispassionate with a factual tone. Other times the emotion is palpable. Ireland does a wonderful job in delivering both. She has a lot of motion in her voice. She provides some believable and easy to identify voices for the many characters. I'm so glad that the same narrator has been used with each book - the continuity is much appreciated. I've said it before and I'll say it again - listening to a book often draws me deeper into the story. And that's most definitely the case with The Winners. Absolutely recommended. Hear for yourself - listen to an excerpt of The Winners.  And take a minute or two to think about the title...