The Winners

Fredrik Backman

69 pages 2-hour read

Fredrik Backman

The Winners

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

Benji is a former Beartown hockey player who left town after facing discrimination for his sexual orientation. He spends his time traveling and partying to cope with past emotional pain. Despite his hardened exterior and large bear tattoo, he demonstrates sensitivity and a deep need for connection. Returning to his hometown forces him to confront the community he left behind.

Key Relationships

Sister of Adri Ovich

Friend of Maya Andersson

Friend of Ana

Ally of Teemu

Mentor to Alicia Ovich

Protected by Sune

Former friend of Kevin Erdahl

Maya is an eighteen-year-old music university student trying to build a new life in the city. She carries the emotional weight of surviving a sexual assault committed by a former hockey star two years earlier. She bears tattoos of a gun and a guitar, representing her survival and her passions. Music provides her with an essential outlet for processing her history.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Kira Andersson

Daughter of Peter Andersson

Sister of Leo Andersson

Best friend of Ana

Friend of Benji Ovich

Victim of Kevin Erdahl

Matteo is an isolated teenage boy mourning the loss of his sister. He comes from a strict, religious household that leaves him feeling alienated and unsupported in his grief. He spends much of his time playing online first-person-shooter games on a computer he built himself. His profound loneliness fuels a growing, quiet anger toward the hockey-obsessed town.

Key Relationships

Brother of Ruth

Online gaming opponent of Leo Andersson

Resentful observer of Mumble

Harbors anger toward Rodri

Amat is a talented Beartown hockey player struggling with the fallout of an unselected NHL draft and a lingering wrist injury. He self-medicates with alcohol and isolates himself from his former friends and teammates. The heavy expectations of his community weigh on him, complicating his desire to return to the sport. He lives with his mother in the Hollow.

Key Relationships

Son of Fatima

Friend of Bobo

Teammate of Mumble

Client of Lev

Subordinate to Zackell

Former protégé of Peter Andersson

Kira is a successful lawyer who struggles to balance her demanding career with her family life. She secretly attends therapy for panic attacks, hiding her anxiety from her husband and children. Her professional success inadvertently draws her into the murky financial dealings of the local hockey clubs. She fiercely defends her family but struggles with emotional communication.

Key Relationships

Wife of Peter Andersson

Mother of Maya Andersson

Mother of Leo Andersson

Pressured by Tails

Acquaintance of Hannah

Peter is the former general manager of the Beartown hockey club. Without his position in the sport, he feels lost and disconnected from his community, turning to hobbies like baking bread to fill his time. His marriage is strained by mutual miscommunication and secrets. He longs to feel needed by the athletic organization he once led.

Key Relationships

Husband of Kira Andersson

Father of Maya Andersson

Father of Leo Andersson

Former mentor to Amat

Scout for Zackell

Unlikely ally of Teemu

Protected by Ramona

Supporting Characters

Alicia is a seven-year-old girl from the Hollow, an impoverished neighborhood in Beartown. She possesses exceptional, prodigious talent on the ice, often outplaying older boys. She frequently seeks refuge from her difficult home life by spending time at the homes of local mentors. Hockey serves as her primary escape and source of stability.

Key Relationships

Ward of Sune

Cared for by Adri Ovich

Inspired by Benji Ovich

Leo is the teenage son of Peter and Kira, growing increasingly independent from his parents. He copes with family tension and past traumas by immersing himself in online first-person-shooter games. He observes the growing distance between his parents and quietly anticipates their separation.

Key Relationships

Son of Peter Andersson

Brother of Maya Andersson

Online gaming opponent of Matteo

Ana is Maya's fiercely loyal best friend and an experienced woodswoman. She relies on the survival instincts taught by her father to assist with emergency situations in the community. Her blunt honesty and dependability make her a central support figure for her friends during crises.

Key Relationships

Best friend of Maya Andersson

Friend of Benji Ovich

Assistant to Hannah

Hannah is a dedicated midwife living in Hed. She balances her demanding emergency medical work with raising four children alongside her firefighter husband. Her straightforward, sometimes abrasive nature masks a deep anxiety about her family's safety.

Key Relationships

Wife of Johnny

Mother of Tess

Mother of Tobias

Mother of Ted

Mother of Ture

Colleague of Ana

Acquaintance of Kira Andersson

Johnny is a first responder and firefighter based in Hed. He frequently risks his life to clear debris and assist citizens, a heroic tendency that causes friction in his marriage. He is a devoted father who tries to manage the intense town rivalry impacting his children's sports.

Key Relationships

Husband of Hannah

Father of Tess

Father of Tobias

Father of Ted

Father of Ture

Acquaintance of Bobo

Tess is the highly intelligent eldest child and only daughter in her family. She frequently assumes caretaking responsibilities for her three younger brothers. She feels somewhat out of place in her sports-obsessed family and develops a quiet connection with someone from the rival town.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Hannah

Daughter of Johnny

Sister of Tobias

Sister of Ted

Sister of Ture

Romantic interest of Bobo

Bobo is a large, physically imposing Beartown resident with a surprisingly gentle and supportive demeanor. He drives an old campervan and loyally attempts to reconnect with isolated friends. He crosses town lines to build a relationship with a girl from Hed, demonstrating his willingness to ignore the local feud.

Key Relationships

Friend of Amat

Romantic interest of Tess

Acquaintance of Johnny

Tails is an opportunistic supermarket owner and a major financial sponsor for Beartown hockey. He manipulates local politics and businesses to serve his vision for the sports club. Despite his questionable ethics and self-serving behavior, he genuinely views his actions as beneficial to the town's survival.

Key Relationships

Client of Kira Andersson

Political ally of Richard Theo

Sponsor of Mumble

Zackell is the demanding, pragmatic head coach of the Beartown A-team. She approaches hockey with intense discipline, focusing strictly on identifying and utilizing the right talent rather than offering emotional support to players. She commands respect through her uncompromising standards.

Key Relationships

Coach to Amat

Colleague of Peter Andersson

Coach to Aleksandr

Mumble is a quiet, exceptionally talented goalie who transferred from Hed to play for Beartown. He earned the respect of the Beartown players and fans despite his origins in the rival town. He carries unspoken guilt regarding past events in Hed, keeping his head down to focus entirely on the sport.

Key Relationships

Teammate of Amat

Sponsored by Tails

Former friend of Ruth

Lev is the shrewd owner of the Hed scrapyard, rumored to deal in illicit goods and black-market operations. He acts as an unofficial agent for athletes from impoverished backgrounds, leveraging his resources to gain influence. He operates outside the traditional rules of the town councils.

Key Relationships

Unofficial agent to Amat

Benefactor of Fatima

Acquaintance of Johnny

Teemu is the imposing leader of the Pack, a notoriously aggressive Beartown gang connected to the hockey club. He runs security and intimidation operations but is intensely loyal to those he considers family. An unexpected crisis forces him into an alliance with individuals he formally opposed.

Key Relationships

Unlikely ally of Peter Andersson

Adoptive son of Ramona

Protector of Benji Ovich

Ramona is the aging, gruff matriarch of Beartown and the owner of the Bearskin pub. She serves as the community's emotional anchor, providing a safe haven for marginalized individuals and enforcing unwritten rules among the town's rougher elements. She holds immense sway over local politics and gang activity.

Key Relationships

Adoptive mother of Teemu

Mentor to Peter Andersson

Fatima is Amat's mother, a hardworking cleaning woman who suffers from chronic back pain. She avoids interacting with townspeople to dodge questions about her son's recent professional failures. She taught her son gratitude but worries the community has exploited him.

Key Relationships

Mother of Amat

Supported by Lev

Aleksandr is an incredibly skilled but reputedly uncoachable young hockey player from the city. He struggles with the physical toll of repeated concussions and pushes back against traditional athletic discipline. He provides an outsider's perspective on the intense, insular culture of Beartown.

Key Relationships

Subordinate to Zackell

Scouted by Peter Andersson

Friend of Benji Ovich

Sune is a former Beartown hockey coach who acts as a quiet guardian for the town's vulnerable youth. He lives with a beloved dog and offers his property as a safe haven for those escaping difficult home environments.

Key Relationships

Guardian of Alicia Ovich

Mentor to Benji Ovich

Adri is Benji's older sister who lives outside of town, preferring the company of the dogs she raises over people. She is tough, independent, and highly protective of her younger brother and the children who visit her property.

Key Relationships

Sister of Benji Ovich

Caretaker of Alicia Ovich

Friend of Sune

Richard is a calculating local politician who capitalizes on the rivalry between the two towns to advance his career. He expertly trades favors and orchestrates public events to position himself as a necessary leader, manipulating information to maintain his authority.

Key Relationships

Political ally of Tails

Ruth is Matteo's deceased sister, a young woman who rebelled against her strict religious upbringing. Her struggles with judgment and lack of support from her community led her to flee the town before her untimely death. She is remembered fiercely by her brother.

Key Relationships

Sister of Matteo

Former friend of Mumble

Victim of Rodri

Rodri is a former Hed hockey player who was expelled from the club for aggressive behavior. He uses manipulation and intimidation to control others, leaving a lasting, destructive impact on the young women he encounters.

Key Relationships

Persecutor of Ruth

Kevin is the former star of the Beartown junior team whose criminal actions shattered the town's harmony two years prior. Though largely absent from the current events, the psychological aftermath of his violence continues to dictate the actions of his survivors.

Key Relationships

Attacker of Maya Andersson

Former friend of Benji Ovich

Tobias is one of Hannah and Johnny's sons, an active boy who feels the pressure of growing up with local heroes for parents. He fiercely defends his younger siblings during community disputes.

Key Relationships

Son of Hannah

Son of Johnny

Brother of Tess

Brother of Ted

Brother of Ture

Ted is one of Hannah and Johnny's younger sons, a highly enthusiastic and naturally talented young hockey player. He remains somewhat insulated from the intense town politics by his pure love for the game.

Key Relationships

Son of Hannah

Son of Johnny

Brother of Tess

Brother of Tobias

Brother of Ture

Ture is the youngest child in the Hed first-responder family. His older siblings carefully protect him from the vulgarities and violence of the bitter sports rivalry.

Key Relationships

Son of Hannah

Son of Johnny

Brother of Tess

Brother of Tobias

Brother of Ted