Title: Us Against YouAuthor: Fredrik Backman
Series: Beartown #2
Published by: Simon & Schuster Canada on Sep. 4, 2018
Genres: General Fiction
Pages: 448
Format: Paperback
Source: Simon & Schuster Canada
Book Rating: 10/10
After everything that the citizens of Beartown have gone through, they are struck yet another blow when they hear that their beloved local hockey team will soon be disbanded. What makes it worse is the obvious satisfaction that all the former Beartown players, who now play for a rival team in Hed, take in that fact. Amidst the mounting tension between the two rivals, a surprising newcomer is handpicked to be Beartown’s new hockey coach.
Soon a new team starts to take shape around Amat, the fastest player you’ll ever see; Benji, the intense lone wolf; and Vidar, a born-to-be-bad troublemaker. But bringing this team together proves to be a challenge as old bonds are broken, new ones are formed, and the enmity with Hed grows more and more acute.
As the big match approaches, the not-so-innocent pranks and incidents between the communities pile up and their mutual contempt grows deeper. By the time the last game is finally played, a resident of Beartown will be dead, and the people of both towns will be forced to wonder if, after all they’ve been through, the game they love can ever return to something simple and innocent.
Review:
Beautifully written, brilliantly plotted, and undeniably affecting!
Us Against You takes us back to the small-town of Beartown where the fate of the Bears is now looking grim, a scheming politician has a hidden agenda, families are still struggling to recover from the violence that shattered their sense of security, and residents are still reeling from the sex scandal that tore their community apart and took down their shining star.
The prose is vivid, lyrical, and eloquent. The characters are fragile, tormented, and raw. And the absorbing, astute plot takes us on a heart-wrenching rollercoaster ride of love, loss, friendship, family, rivalry, fear, hope, loyalty, resilience, economic uncertainty, political ambition, violence, hockey, and the weight of responsibility.
Us Against You is a poetic, gritty, philosophical tale that reminds us just how delicate the line between love and hate and right and wrong can truly be. It’s dark, poignant, and touching and with the incredible depth, authenticity, superb character development, and exceptional insight into human frailty we’ve come to expect from Backman it’s not just a good novel it’s great!
This novel is available now.
Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
About Fredrik Backman
Fredrik Backman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove (soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks), My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, as well as two novellas, And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer and The Deal of a Lifetime. His books are published in more than forty countries. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children.
