Fredrik Backman

Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet. He isn't as young as he used to be. He drives a Saab....

People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink....

After everything that the citizens of Beartown have gone through, they are struck yet another blow when they learn that their beloved local hockey team will soon be disbanded. What makes it worse is the obvious satisfaction that all the former Beartown players take in that fact....

Britt-Marie ist pedantisch und ziemlich zugeknöpft, sagen die Leute. Borg ist ein Kaff und ziemlich abgehängt, sagen die Leute...

For as long as anyone can remember, Britt-Marie has been an acquired taste. It's not that she's judgmental or fussy or difficult - she just expects things to be done in a certain way....

Beartown is a small town in a large Swedish forest. For most of the year it is under a thick blanket of snow, experiencing the kind of cold and dark that brings people closer together - or pulls them apart....

This is a moving portrait of an elderly man's struggle to hold on to his most precious memories and his family's efforts to care for him - even as they must find a way to let go....

"Versprich mir, dass du mich noch lieb hast, wenn du erfährst, wer ich gewesen bin. Und versprich mir, auf das Schloss aufzupassen. Und auf deine Freunde."...

Ove ist der Nachbar aus der Hölle: Jeden Morgen macht er seine Kontrollrunde, schreibt Falschparker auf, räumt Fahrräder an ihren Platz....

What was once a friendly rivalry with the neighbouring town is beginning to turn sinister and Beartown braces itself for another tragic blow....