Reading Order
Beartown Reading Order
Fredrik Backman's Beartown (2016) is the first book in the Beartown trilogy, followed by Us Against You (2017) and The Winners (2022). Set in a struggling Swedish hockey town, the trilogy follows the community of Beartown across years as it deals with an assault involving its star player, and the way the incident splits the town and the people who live in it.
Where to start
Beartown
Complete Beartown Book List
- 1Buy
Beartown
Fredrik Backman·2016·A Swedish hockey town's star player is accused of assault, and the community fractures along lines of loyalty, complicity, and silence - 2Buy
Us Against You
Fredrik Backman·2017·Beartown's hockey club is dissolved; a rival team forms; the town continues to live with what it did and didn't do - 3Buy
The Winners
Fredrik Backman·2022·Five years later, the survivors of Beartown reckon with who they've become
Beartown — Frequently Asked Questions
How many Beartown books are there?
There are three Beartown books: Beartown (2016), Us Against You (2017), and The Winners (2022). The trilogy is complete. The three books cover roughly a decade in the town of Beartown, Sweden, following characters across different stages of their lives.
Do you need to read all three Beartown books?
Beartown is a complete and self-contained novel that many readers stop at without feeling they missed something. Us Against You begins immediately after Beartown ends and requires having read the first book. The Winners is set five years later and requires both prior books.
Is Beartown sad?
Beartown deals directly with sexual assault, complicity, and the specific way communities protect their institutions over their most vulnerable members. It is Backman's most serious and emotionally devastating novel — very different in tone from A Man Called Ove. Most readers describe it as one of the most powerful and difficult books they've read.
Do you need to know about hockey to read Beartown?
No. Hockey is the setting and the source of the town's identity, but the novel requires no knowledge of hockey. The sport functions the way any institution functions in a small community — it is the container for the town's hopes, loyalties, and silences, not the subject of the book.
Monthly Newsletter
Never miss a big release
Get the most anticipated upcoming books delivered to your inbox once a month — no spam, no filler.
Monthly only. Unsubscribe anytime.
Book links are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, BookReleaseRadar earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.