I'll admit, there were a few times when I felt like this was dragging on a bit (seriously, if you continue to follow a group of people, there will always be more stories, more tragedies, more events), but then I'd get sucked in and have tears in my eyes.

 
I was lucky enough to have my library hold come in for book 3 as I finished book 2, so I didn't have any waiting between books. That being said, I'm thinking back to where did book 2 end and where did this begin? There was some distinction, as this begins with a storm. There are some new characters we haven't met yet (the fireman, his wife, a midwife, their children) that will become central to the ongoing story. We also meet Matteo, and from him learn about his sister Ruth, who had a similar experience to Maya. There is Lev, there is the newspaper editor and her father. There is a new coach. There is a little girl Alicia. Our constant characters throughout the three books are here too of course ... Peter and Kira Anderson, Maya, Ana, Amat, Bobo and Benji. 

Different blurbs may preview the book a bit differently, one says "Someone is coming home after a long time away. Someone will be laid to rest. Someone will fall in love, someone will try to fix their marriage, and someone will do anything to save their children. Someone will submit to hate, someone will fight, and someone will grab a gun and walk towards the ice rink."  I might say that there are some spoilers, but Backman himself is constantly throwing in peeks, beyond simple foreshadowing. I'm not sure I like when authors do this ... I don't watch the "next on" in shows and am very careful with books to avoid spoilers. I was fairly crushed midway when it was revealed that certain events were going to take place ... and that I had to continue reading to find out exactly how, already knowing the end result. 

This does bring up so many questions -- as the GoodReads blurb brings up "What is a family? What is a community? And what, if anything, are we willing to sacrifice in order to protect them?"  One of the interesting things in the first book, was Kevin's parents, his mother and father, and how far do they go to protect their child. What do you do if your child did something criminal? Here ... ironically Kira grapples with some of the same types of questions. Do you defend family at all costs? Do you?  There could be multiple discussions on Matteo and how he handled things, purportedly in defense of his sister. 

This would be an interesting Book Club book ... lots to discuss and question. However ... major triggers (rape, gun violence, ... there's a website called "does the dog die" for people who do not even want to get emotionally into a book where that happens ...) 

At the end, the author jumps forward in time, wrapping up everyone's stories (I seem to recall Harry Potter's final book did this) which nixes the possibility of further sequels.