As an awkward, anxious child, Fredrik Backman fell in love with sports and books. His latest title, The Winners, concludes his powerful Beartown trilogy, which focuses on a small town and its junior hockey club in northern Sweden. Sensitive and timely, The Winners explores the many sides of "hockey culture." Beartown has been adapted into a popular HBO series, and Backman’s previous titles, Anxious People and A Man Called Ove, have also been adapted for the screen. Please note: this conversation includes some discussion of suicide.