Much like the first book, Us Against You damn near killed me. As much as Beartown explored the politics of sports, this novel is about the sport of politics. Everyone has an angle. Everyone has something that they want, and things they are willing to do or sacrifice in order to get it. Everything and everyone in this town has a price.

While I don't feel it is necessarily required that people read the Beartown to understand the plot of Us Against You, the emotional weight of this book is certainly enhanced by having full knowledge of the prior events that have rocked this town. My heart particularly belonged to Benji and Maya.

Simply put, this book will destroy you.

I cannot remember the last time I have been so completely torn up over a book. There are no words that can accurately describe the range of emotions I have had through this book. It just blows me away. I don’t say this because the book was so amazing that I couldn’t put it down, because that just isn’t the case. At all. Before you think that this is a horrible review and you all start throwing things at me, just hear me out. There’s a method to my madness here.

I was so excited to have been given the opportunity from NetGalley and Atria Publishing to read this book. I literally jumped up and down I was so pumped to get my hands on an advance copy. I loved Beartown so much and was dying to see what Backman had in store for some of my favorite characters. I just had so much trouble with it though. Like a lot of trouble getting through it. I’m usually a pretty quick reader and if I’m into a book…2-3 days tops to finish. No matter how long the book is because I won’t want to put it down, but…well, let’s put this into a timeline perspective here:

Time to complete Beartown: 2 amazing days
Time to complete Us Against You: 3 weeks

That’s right. 3 looooong weeks. Now, to be fair, once I got through the first half of the book the remaining half only took me 2 days to finish. It’s that first part that really drags on, and on, and on. I was quickly losing interest and really had to read small amounts at a time or I was going to give up. Once the story gets to that part though, you know…the part that just grabs hold of you, I’m talking late nights, edge of your seat reading. What I’ve come to expect from a great Backman book.

So when I was finished reading, stopped crying, and really took the time to think about it I think I figured it out. I was comparing Us Against You way too closely to Beartown. Now, as a sequel, it makes sense to compare the two books but you have to remember that they aren’t the same book. Same characters we all adore, same hockey loving town, same issues from the previous book BUT its own story. New characters, different conflicts, new ways to screw with your head and mess up your heart (Backman’s an emotional sadist I swear!). That’s what made me rethink my feelings on this book. Not the fact that it didn’t grab me right away like I was expecting but the fact that it had its own way of slowing drawing me in and then, BAM!, the ice breaks and I fall into the trap. Really, no other author can do what this man does in the way he does it. It absolutely amazes me.

So if you’re going to read this book (and I highly suggest you do!) don’t go into it thinking that you’re going to get a Beartown high. You’re not. You’re going to get a slow burn before volcano erupts and it will be fantastic. Devastatingly, infuriatingly, only in the magical way a writer like Fredrik Backman can do it, fantastic!

There is a story about us, before this one...we lost our way...when two of our children said different things, we believed him because that was easier. This is a story of what happened afterwards.
Who is right?
Who is punished?
Who won?
How does that feel?
Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

To know the story you have to listen to the smaller stories.

If you are an addict to competitiveness- can't stop trying to win/can't live with that rush. If you are a town with its foundation built on the Hockey team- what happens when that is gone?

Mysterious strangers all around Beartown.
some dressed in black - are they criminals- the wolves -
or are the wolves in the government and town council.

When you strip away all of the nonsense- the game is simple:
everyone gets a stick, there are 2 nets, 2 teams. US AGAINST YOU
People in Beartown know how to work, they need somewhere to do it.
People in Beartown know how to fight, they need something to fight for.

Silence- where you hear a blade of straw land on cotton.

I absolutely loved this book! I have already recommended it to many.

At times, I was holding my breath as I turned pages as fast as I could

Like life, Fredrik Backman’s novels are not just about one thing: games, life, death, love, friendship, or loyalty. They embody them all, embrace them, show them through an objective lens so that the reader perhaps also views them as he does his own world.

In Beartown, we were introduced to the residents of Beartown, a town in the middle of a forest where the people work hard. Us Against You picks up where Beartown left off, but could easily be read as a standalone–why you’d want to miss out on Beartown, however, I wouldn’t know. You can read my review of that novel here.

…this summer he learns that people will always choose a simple lie over a complicated truth […] the truth always has to stick to what actually happened, whereas the lie just has to be easy to believe.

Backman’s style, omniscient doused with a hefty (but beautiful) dose of philosophy, may be off-putting to some readers who prefer a more straightforward narrative, but a reader can soon become engrossed in Us Against You and find the narration as interesting, and again beautiful, as the story.

One year? What wouldn’t we give for one more year? A year is an eternity.

For me, this is one of those novels that you don’t want to put down just as much as you want to race to discover the ending. It brought me to tears as many times as it made me laugh, but it also made me think. Backman never shoves his thoughts in his reader’s face. He places them gently, cajoles you into looking at an issue from various perspectives.

There are two types of people now. Some of them need more time, and some need more sense.

As I have with every previous one of his novels, I felt so much heart. There are no evil characters. They are multi-faceted. Everyone, to paraphrase, is good and bad, and Backman embraces them all.

With the exception of the politician Richard Theo, a man who plays puppet-master with the lives of the people of Beartown and Hed. He is an unemotional manipulator who frequently plays both sides, pits people against each other, and comes out smelling like a rose. And there is no sign that karma will find him. Perhaps there will be a third novel in the series, and we will see Richard Theo crumble much in the way most of us would like to see manipulative, self-interested politicians crumble.

For me, there was so much to love about Us Against You, and I could easily continue to write about the simple game of hockey, sticks, a net, and a puck, or how people find great love, which they lose, or how others rediscover great love, or how others lose their way but find a new path. Instead, I’ll just recommend that you add this one to you TBR pile. If you haven’t read Beartown yet, add that one as well.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman is a second novel which takes place in the fictional hockey township of Beartown. Mr. Backman has wrote several novels, his most famous is A Man Called Ove.

Peter Anderssen became persona-non-grata along with his family in Beartown since his daughter’s rape. The small town was split in half between supporting the rape victim or her rapist, the star of the local hockey team. After their loss in the championship game, the town has one more chance to prop up the hockey team.

Peter’s wife, Kira, sees this as her opportunity to open up a law firm. A corrupt politician capitalizes on the divided town to stir his way to the top. The rest of the town has to evaluate if hockey is really worth it or not.

I really enjoyed the first novel in the series, aptly named Beartown, and was glad to be able to read Us Against You by Fredrik Backman which is a continuation of the story with the same familiar characters and a few new ones. This novel is written in the same style as the first novel, with very similar themes as well.

Even though the book might be uplifting at some points, it is a sad book dealing with everyday life and the struggles some people go through just to get through the day. The author does a good job, again, of capturing humanity, people at their best and worst. We are all shades of gray, not comic book villains or cape-wearing heroes.

The story, while sometimes dark and sad, is mostly on an upbeat note, as things seem to come together at some point. Many characters do the honorable things, criminals step up when needed and the town comes together.

The author constantly misdirects the reader to keep the story fresh. He has a style of teasing the ending at the beginning of each story, misdirecting the reader to think they are on the right track, and then changing course 90 degrees for a misleading, yet accurate fulfillment of the earlier prophecy.

This is an ambitious book with many themes, yet easy to read and reachable. The author clearly lays out the story and understanding of people and their nature for the reader to inspect.

REVIEW

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman is a stirring sequel to last year’s Beartown. Backman is quickly becoming one of my favorite, reliable writers. I greatly enjoyed Beartown, and I wasn’t sure what to think of a sequel. Us Against You, however, rises above its prequel.

Us Against You is about the aftermath. There’s no calm after the storm once it is known that <minor spoiler> Peter’s daughter Maya was raped by one of the Beartown players.

This book is so relevant for contemporary times with its exploration of toxic masculinity and believing women who are victims of sexual assault. Amidst these deep and resonant themes, it is also the story of a community - what it means to be part of the group and what it means to be an outsider. Highly recommended reading!

PRAISE

“Evident in all [Backman] novels is an apparent ability to state a truth about humanity with breathtaking elegance.”
— Kirkus

“If Alexander McCall Smith’s and Maeve Binchy’s novels had a love child, the result would be the work of Swedish writer Fredrik Backman...With his wry acceptance of foible and failure, Backman combines a singular style with a large and compassionate perspective for his characters...[His] novels have wide appeal, and for good reason. Us Against You takes a lyrical look at how a community heals, how families recover and how individuals grow.”
— The Washington Post

AUTHOR

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.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Put this on your list now. You need to read it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Beartown lost the hockey championship to the neighboring town of Hed because they lost their key player after he raped a teen. This second story tells the aftermath of the two towns and how key players manipulate others into doing their dirty work.

I wanted to say so many things about Bachman’s ability to capture human nature, but none of them do justice to this story. This quote probably sums it up:

“At some point almost everyone makes a choice. Some of us don’t even notice it happening, most don’t get to plan it in advance, but there’s always a moment when we take one path instead of another, which has consequences for the rest of our lives. It determines the people we will become, in other people’s eyes as well as our own.” Wow—just wow!

This book picks up about 2 months after Beartown, in the beginning of the summer. There was quite a bit of backstory in the first part of the book, lots of details that, if you read Beartown , you already know. For this reason I had a hard time feeling emotionally invested in the story. The writing was excellent, however, and I really wanted to find out what happened with my favorite characters, Maya, Kira, Benji and Amat. What seemed to cloud the story for me was the addition of Richard Theo and all the political schemes and info as well as the focus on The Pack. This slowed the story down for me and I found that I didn't really care about any of that. While I do appreciate Bachman's ability to weave in many characters, the focus on these took away from the characters I wanted to know about and who could've carried the plot just as well. Overall, I finished feeling somewhat disconnected from the story and my favorite characters.

A story about hockey and yet so much more, I was absolutely blown away by the amount of emotion and energy that Backman manages to put into this follow up to Beartown. Yes, it helps if you have read Beartown but you don't need to. All will be explained.
I read a review that describes Backman as a modern day Dickens and I have to say that I agree; his characters are richly detailed and empathetically written, you find yourself rooting for everyone - even when they are on different sides. The situations are real and believable, what would you do in the name of family?

“It’s so easy to get people to hate each other. That’s what makes love so impossible to understand. Hate is so simple that it always ought to win. It’s an uneven fight.”
I hadn’t read Beartown, so the beginning of this book threw me because I didn’t realize it was the second in a series. Once I got into the characters that make up the town and the hockey team that the town revolves around, it stood on its own just fine. For much of the last fifth of this novel, I had tears in my eyes.
Beartown is a small town, and their biggest rival is another small town, Hed. After Beartown is divided because an evil act of violence, many of the best of their hockey players leave to play for Hed. Beartown gets a new coach, who’s ready to rebuild the team.
We watch as families and towns fracture and repair. Individuals who are ostracized find a way to survive and thrive.
“The complicated thing about good and bad people alike is that most of us can be both at the same time.”
This is another wonderful read by Frekrik Backman (I’d previously read A Man Called Ove.) Highly recommend.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Simon and Shuster for the opportunity to review this book, which comes out this Tuesday, June 5.

All my readers already know that I am addicted to Fredrik Backman’s novels, and there is good reason for that. However, to prove to them that I don’t automatically adore every word that Backman puts on the page, I’m going to start this review by noting the reasons I almost gave this less than five stars. The biggest reason was foreshadowing. Admittedly, this is a personal pet peeve of mine, which to my chagrin, Backman employed many times throughout this book. I must admit that although it bothered me to begin with, each time he did this, I felt slightly less annoyed. This was probably because he only allowed himself a short sentence of foreshadowing each time.

Another pet peeve of mine is tying up a story too nicely at the end, with the futures of the characters laid out with excruciating detail. While Backman did seem to venture into this forbidden territory of mine, he was able to redeem himself while doing this because he referred to the short foreshadowing bits at the end, which turned this into somewhat of an afterward. So, although we find out things about the futures of several characters beyond the end of the story, it’s not like we didn't know about them, and since it was done in a delicately telegraphic way, Backman didn't lay the whole of their lives out for us, but just gave us small tastes. So, despite my initial prejudice against this mechanic, I was surprised to see how much this added to the book instead of detracting from it (which is usually the case).

While the combination of these two pet peeves could normally have made me drop half, if not a whole star off my rating, the way Backman used them so carefully and artfully, made me realize that I can mostly ignore what bothered me about them, and in fact, come to appreciate them in this instance. Furthermore, he had me in tears several times as I got closer to finishing this book – and if I recall correctly, more often than I did with any of his other novels. Backman does this by focusing this novel on base (and sometimes baseless) hatred, and all the nasty things people can do to each other, and then bringing in small acts of kindness that one person shows to someone on the “other side.” I’d say that this is what is almost scary about how talented Backman is, that being how he is able to surprise us and dig deeper into our emotions with each novel.

Remember too, that this is a sequel, and although someone who hasn’t read Beartown might still appreciate this novel as a stand-alone, I would highly recommend they read that one first, since I think they won’t totally “get” everything in this book, if they haven’t read the first one. This is mostly because what was obvious from reading that novel was confirmed with this one. That being, that I am certain that Backman fell in love with his Beartown characters so much that he couldn’t leave them hanging, and had to give us something to help us get closure, which this book does in spades.

I’d also like to mention that this novel felt more poetic than his previous works. This doesn’t mean he uses flowery language, but rather that he gives us many small sub-sections of chapters that are just a few words or a couple of sentences, which we ponder upon as we continue reading. Backman also used another interesting mechanic here that I found interesting, which was how he took a quote from the coming chapter and used it as the title of that chapter. In this way, we can see this quote, and then look forward to where that quote appears and thereby understand its significance. I didn’t notice this at first, but I hope that those of you who decide to read this book based on this review will appreciate my pointing this out for you beforehand.

Of course, all this is just to say that I really loved this book. Again, I’m no fan of hockey, but as a life-long Cubs fan, I can certainly understand the heightened emotions that a lover of one sport or another can have. However, as I noted in my review of Beartown (as well as in my review of Britt-Marie Was Here), the sport itself isn’t what’s important here. Rather it is about all the things that go into what loyalty, love, community, and family mean to us, and how they sometimes blind us into making the types of mistakes that can harm any, or all those things. Backman shines a light on our fragility and makes us realize that sometimes we need to feel pain to discover the humanity we have hidden deep inside. While I want to give this book 4.75 stars out of five (taking off a quarter for the things I noted above), I don’t have a ¾ star, so I’ll round it up to five, and warmly recommend this book!

I have no idea how I picked this up without realizing it was a sequel. Hard to pick up here. Need to go back to read the first. Not a stand alone.

Us Against You picks up where Beartown left off, immediately plunging back into the turmoil surrounding the hockey town and its residents. This book has so much hatred, violence and brutality that I felt physically ill at some points, but it’s written in such a captivating, illusive way that I couldn’t bear to put the book down.

Sometimes books annoy me because they are too wordy as though the author is being paid per word. Mr. Backman is very wordy but successfully avoids producing a book that feels that way. It must be because he uses those extra words to bring the reader into the story itself. Chapters start off with a few paragraphs using first person plural. With this device, we become a bear from Beartown. We stand tall because they stand tall. And we feel the sorrows and joys of our fellow hockey fans. After that, he leads us through the intimate emotions and actions of his characters. As with the first book in this series, personalities take center stage with the events of the book used to highlight relationships between people. Though not stated, Mr. Backman continues to remind readers that we are all connected.

When I read Beartown last year I really got to know the characters in the book, so much so, that by the end I really didn't want to leave them. At that time I didn't know it was the start of a series (or possibly trilogy) so, when I heard there was a sequel I knew I had to read it. Although, strictly speaking, you don't need to read Beartown before this book, as the salient points are reiterated within, to really get the best from it, I would definitely recommend you do read it first. If you haven't yet read Beartown and think you might, please stop reading this review now as it might contain spoilers.
This book nearly broke me emotionally. Oh my, what the author puts this small town and its inhabitants through. The action begins where book one ended with the hockey team all but depleted player-wise. Most of the first team has jumped ship and gone to play for neighbouring team Hed, along with the coach. With the factory also in a bit of trouble, the town looks like it is on its last legs especially with the overseeing Committee favouring Hed for most things too. But, as with the events in book one of the series, there is always hope and that comes in the guise of a new coach. One that will shock most of the inhabitants. As the new team starts to take shape around this new coach, combined with the promise of more support from the new, and as yet secret, soon-to-be owners of the factory, could the team rise again and inject life back into the small town?
As with Beartown, this book is centered mostly around hockey, with a bit of politics thrown in for good measure. But, for those of a not so sporting nature, you really don't need to worry as it is not all sport. In fact, it mostly revolves around the people more than the sport. It's definitely very character driven. In fact, I rode the gamut of pretty much every emotion available whilst reading this book. Good and bad. I laughed, I cried, I sympathised and empathised along with the characters every step of the way.
The way the book is written, narrated by an unknown resident, means that certain things are introduced before they are explained and before you see them played out. This raised the level of tension for me throughout the book as I was anticipating certain things to happen, sometimes based on guesswork. Some played out as expected, others notsomuch. Sometimes I was relieved at what actually happened, given the hints, other times what actually happened was more shocking than I envisaged. This meant that my heart was in my mouth quite a bit along the way but, at times, the feeling of relief I got when it wasn't as bad as I though, was immense. When I eventually finished the book I was completely spent.
Backman has made, for me, a fictional town that feels so real. He has filled it with great characters, some good, some flawed, some somewhere inbetween, most of whom became my friends for the duration, all of whom were so credible. He's added a neat twist of politics and game playing both on and off the ice which just added a whole other layer of intrigue. There are also real life problems being played out, some so passionate that you just know it can't all end well. There are tough decisions to be made, some go well, others are a bit more tricky. But throughout it all, it's just a town fighting for its existence in the face of adversity. It's a story of hope against all odds, a tale of what can happen when people put things aside and work together. And that's what makes the book really shine. So much so, that Beartown is probably the first and only fictional place that I've read about that I really wish I could go visit.
So, with great sadness I finished this book. And now I feel a bit bereft. I'm going to miss some of the friends I have made along the way and I am really, really hoping that book three won't be long in coming. I need these people and this town in my life.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Wow, what can I say? I loved ‘Beartown’ so much, I was worried ‘Us Against You’ wouldn’t be able to live up to it, but I needn’t have worried. As always Fredrik Backman has delivered a moving, heartbreaking book that will stay with me for a long time to come. Simply outstanding!

A very easy 5 star read that I highly recommend.

My full review will be posted on my blog soon.

I didn’t discover Fredrik Backman until I read A Man Called Ove last summer. Since then I have read all of his novels as fast I could, although none quite matched the magic of Ove. This is the sequel to Beartown, which had some wonderful characters but was a little but too full of descriptions of ice hockey for me. Still I was keen to find out what happened to them all after Beartown ended, especially Maya. And Benji. And Amat. And Bobo. Luckily I’ve either got to like ice hockey a lot more or the game isn’t quite so obtrusive because I was soon swept up with them all again as they suddenly discovered they were going to be the new Beartown team. Which is still the most important thing in the world to the residents, especially when the council decides their team is no longer worth funding so they’re going to have to start supporting nearby Hed. Far more violent than my usual reading, there are some stomach churning moments as the rival teams resort to their old fashioned ways of solving problems, especially for Leo, Maya’s younger brother who feels he has to stand up and be counted to protect his sister. To protect his sister from people who just can’t help themselves because they are the people who’ve been shaped by their own life experiences. And that’s when I realised why I love Backman’s characters so much. Just like Game of Thrones, there are very few truly bad or good characters. They all make mistakes and the ones who commit the worst deeds are usually the ones who’ve had the worst deeds done to them. Now I just need to find out what happens to the characters of Beartown after Us Against You finished. We are the Bears!

US AGAINST YOU by Fredrik Bachman is the moving story of Beartown, where hockey reigns supreme and everything thing seems to revolve around the hockey rink. The first story in the Beartown series reverberates throughout this book and sets the scene for what becomes an even murkier future for the town. In the aftermath of last hockey season, a new team is born and spirits are lifted, but new issues arise around every corner and in the end, the idealist picture of a hockey town is something Beartown will perhaps never be.
After reading BEARTOWN and US AGAINST YOU, I feel like a member of Beartown and my emotions are rising and falling along with everyone else in the town. Backman really creates characters that are beautiful , flawed, and real. Good choices, bad choices, and all those choices in between make everyone so likable. And even the most wholesome person in Beartown makes a bad decision and the most loathsome individual occasionally reflects goodness in them too. Heavy topics like rape, homophobia, and gang violence are covered with a careful hand, without each issue losing it's realism and seriousness each topic needs.
I hope Backman keeps writing about the people of Beartown, because US AGAINST YOU made me like those people so much more and I want to see how each and every one of them turns out. A moving book that shouldn't be missed!

I just finished my advanced copy of Us Against Them while sitting in the waiting area of a car dealership trying to not cry my eyes out. Such an amazing book. Fredrik Backman continues to be a genius. I thought I loved Beartown but this 2nd book about the town, the people, and hockey just blew me away. When this book is released on June 5 you have to read it. In the meantime read Beartown if you haven’t already.

Last year, Beartown became one of the best things I ever read. Which honestly, shocked me since I am not a sports-er. This year Backman does it again with Us Against You, a book about people, motives, relationships, brothers, enemies, love, survival...and oh yeah, hockey. I am fascinated by Backman's ability to take any character and show the spaces between the actions and the words, to make things a little less black and white. People are not good, or bad, they are people. They make choices and do things because of the million moments that came before this one. Each one of us is only a step or two from greatness or disaster. And love, love, love weaves through it all - through the grief, through the pride, through the pain. We are the bears. The bears of Beartown.