This is the final book in the Beartown Trilogy. I really enjoyed this series and although this book was super long/thick at 670 pages, I am finally done with it. It's an excellent book with beloved characters and my sister Joy and I both read the entire trilogy. I've enjoyed a few of this author's books with my fave still being A Man Called Ove.
STORY SUMMARY
It has been 2 years since the events that happened in Beartown and Hed have occured that no one wants to ever talk about. Everyone has tried to move on with their lives. But there is just something about this place in the forest that prevents anyone from doing so.
The early autumn storm arrives and with it a death and two funerals on the same day.
One of the person's life is being celebrated by everyone in Beartown.
But another person's life is being forgotten.
Maya Andersson comes home from her college dorm and joyfully reunites with her best friend Ana. Maya fled Beartown for music school far away. She's searching for a new life.
Benji Ovich also comes home and reunites with his best friend Bobo.
Both Maya and Benji see how much Beartown has changed. There's a new sense of purpose.....an optimism and it's tied to the impressive new ice rink that's been built down by the lake.
But the storm reignites all the old rivalry between Beartown and Hed and it's always been fought through their hockey teams.
Peter and Kira, Maya and Leo's parents, are dealing with an investigation of the hockey club's sketchy finances.
Amat, the former star of Beartown hockey, has seemingly lost his way after an injury and his failure to get drafted into the NHL.
Tensions arise between the two towns and soon turn into acts of intimidation....and then of course violence.
Meanwhile, 14 year old Matteo, the son of parents involved in a weird religious cult, becomes more and more alienated from the hockey-obsessed town. He is determined to get revenge on all the people.....young men.....whom he holds responsible for his older sister Ruth's death. She died of a drug overdose in a foreign country far from Sweden but he blames her drug use on the events that happened to her in Beartown before she turned 18. Events that also happened to Maya.
Matteo has a plan....and...a pistol and this will leave Beartown with a loss that is almost more than anyone can stand.
MY THOUGHTS
This was a really good trilogy but this last book was very long. I feel like the author did a superb job with wrapping up all of the teenagers/young adults first introduced in the first novel, Beartown. However, I also think this story could have been told in a quicker, shorter manner. But yet.....it's chock full of drama, a bit of mystery, complex feelings and relationships and the exploration of friendships, loyalty, self identity, loss and forgiveness. And most of all love. Love in its purest form.
It teaches us to re-examine what it means to be a winner.
It teaches us to learn what it means to lose.
And it teaches us what it means to finally forgive.
This would be a perfect 10 but for all the editing mistakes! There were so many editing errors in this novel! S's left off of words that were meant to be plural, articles missing such as "the" or "a".
However, overall, this book is truly a winner!
My heart was broken when I learned of the demise of one of my very favorite characters. But it's in this loss, that many of the characters grow up emotionally.
I don't want to reveal too much in case you read it.
There were several quotes that jumped out at me but I will share one:
"We try to just live our lives, live with each other, live with ourselves. Accepting joy when we find it, bearing grief when it finds us, and being amazed at our children's happiness without falling apart when we think that we can never really protect them." (pg 649, The Winners by Fredrick Backman, c.2021)
I absolutely loved how the author ended this trilogy and summed up each main character's life. Well done!
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (due to some mature content).
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 9.
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