At this point, you're in one of two camps--a reader who's never read any of the Beartown books or one who has and LOVES them. After finally finishing The Winners, I'm in camp #2. What a reading experience!

You just don't read these books. You cheer, cry, laugh, and live them. Written by Backman in a compelling third-person omniscient POV, this trilogy tells the story of the ice-hockey town of Beartown and its residents. While weaving an amazing multi-character story, he also speaks to humanity in general--with emotionally resonant precision.

The story: Beartown, a small rural town in northern Sweden, is all about ice hockey. At a party, Maya, the 15-year-old daughter of the general manager of the ice hockey team, is raped by the star player. The reverberations of this crime pulse through all three books, as the town and its people deal with other dramas, both within their family and friends and on a larger scale. Backman addresses so many important things: first and foremost the toxic culture of masculinity in sports. He also speaks to prejudice, family, friendship, love, hate, violence, politics, life. Throughout it all, he offers some great nuggets of wisdom and emotional moments that tug on your heartstrings.

I could go on and on about the books, but honestly you really should read them. Is The Winners a tad too long? Sure. Do some nuggets of the omniscient narrator's wisdom seem a bit hokey? Yes. But overall this trilogy, even with my minor quibbles, is a fulfilling reading experience. I really loved it.