Us Against You

by

Fredrik Backman

Us Against You, a refreshing piece of contemporary fiction, sees the return of the people of Beartown in their continuing battle to save their town, their hockey and even their lives in this emotionally charged description of life in a small community in rural Sweden.  Maya, an emotionally destroyed teenager, Benji a star player with a secret, and “the Pack” are just of few of the protagonists we have missed since they were first introduced to us in Fredrik Backman’s Beartown.

Beartown is in peril.  The hockey team is bankrupt and the town council has decided to support another team.  The local factory is shutting down and jobs are being lost.  People are divided over whether or not the team should be supported.  An unknown sponsor buys the factory and supports the team, but not without conditions that put many people at odds with each other. 

Backman sums it up best.  “This has been a story about ice rinks and all the hearts that beat in and around them.  About people and sports and how they sometimes take it in turns to carry each other.  About us, dreaming and fighting.  Some have fallen in love and some have been destroyed, we’ve had good days and some very bad days.” 
The story is also so much more than this.  It is emotionally draining and at the same time uplifting.  It gives you faith in people and their resiliency in the face of adversity.

Backman is a master at Character development.  He gives you so much detail about each person that you begin to know them personally and develop a vested interest in how well they do.  Even Vidal, who is a boy bound for prison, is a person you can’t help but love.

 “Have you ever seen a town fall?  Ours did.”

Backman uses foreshadowing often and effectively.  He creates a sense of anticipation that makes the book a real page-turner.  Sometimes the event turns out to be anti-climatic but you still race to get there expecting something else.  For example at one point someone dies of cancer when you have hurried to get to that point in the story thinking there was going to be a murder. 

I highly recommend this book, but suggest that Beartown is a must read before you dive into Us Against You.  I would give the pair of books a 10 out of 5 if possible. Five stars for sure for Us Against You

I want to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with this book in exchange for a fair review.