Us Against You: A Novel (Beartown Series) Kindle Edition

This book is a seemingly impossible dichotomy: It is a somber, melancholy, and very dark story that deals with the trauma and despair of rape, as well as the anger, hatred, and violence it often spawns. But it's also a feel-good tale that will make your heart swell. As I said, it's seemingly impossible to be both at the same time, but it is.Written by Fredrik Backman, this is the second in a three-part series about the boys' hockey team in Beartown, a small village nestled deep in a wild forest of Sweden where the people work hard and don't expect things to be easy or even fair. Hockey is king here. Everyone plays or cheers. And everyone hates Hed, the village on the other side of the forest. The story picks up where "Beartown: A Novel" left off, and you absolutely must read it first or "Us Against You" won't make much sense, since you're essentially starting in the middle of the story. The anger and violence that dominate this book are twofold, both external and internal: against Hed and their hockey team, but also against themselves as they recover from what they euphemistically call "the scandal," which is the brutal rape that shook the village to its core. Added to that agony comes a shock: One of their own is outed as gay. Things get out of control quickly. Many suffer. Some die. But at the same time, this is a story of love, loyalty, friendship, courage, and compassion—the qualities we all need to live happy and productive lives. We are all residents of Beartown.Oh, and the last 50 pages or so are really, really intense. Translation: Unputdownable! The ending is superb. It gave me goosebumps.And as with the first novel in the series, the charm, heart, and soul of the book are squarely in the varied cast of characters young and old. It is through these characters that Backman offers spot-on life advice and universal truths about parenting, marriage, just getting along with each other, prejudice, shame, and the real meaning of loyalty and love.The writing: Backman has a special writing style in this Beartown series that can feel preachy and whiny. I found this to be especially so at the beginning of the book, but once I adjusted to the style, I appreciated what it did for the form and function of the novel, propelling it forward in a special way.I give Backman enormous credit. I don't know a thing about hockey. I have never been to a hockey game, and I have no desire to go to one. But this book that is on the surface about hockey, is a book that is really about human nature, community, and family. You don't have to be a hockey fan to enjoy this book. You just have to be human.

I’m not sure where to even start with this review and I’m having a hard time putting how I felt about this book into words.I’m speechless.This book was so good for 85% of the book and I loved it more than the first book which was very surprising. But as it went on the foreboding was almost too much and then the ending was almost anticlimactic for me. Yes it was sad but I excepted it to me sadder if I’m honest. I think it was the character he chose to made the sad thing happen to if you know what I mean? I really did like the book but I think it was a bit hyped up from the way he chose to write it. Overall, it is a very good series so far and it’s better than most if I’m honest so I’m still giving it a 5 stars but it did fall a bit flat then I had hoped based on the writing. I am still excited, interested and intrigued even to read the next one as I don’t have any clue where the story could go from here!

Before you read this review, or this book, I strongly recommend you read the first book “Beartown”. This is a sequel and without knowing the characters and what happened in the first book this one maybe a little confusing.I have stolen a passage from the book, with a couple of additions, which I believe sums it up perfectly:In many years’ time we may not know what to call this story. We will say it was a story about violence. About hate. About bullying. About conflict and difference and communities that tore themselves apart. But that won’t be true, at least not entirely. It’s also a different sort of story. Its about politics. It’s also a love story. It is also about family and brotherhood. 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 ones. Beartown has cheered, but it has also started to smolder. Things were heading toward a terrible explosion.It’s about hockey, but it’s not about hockey. But then again it’s about hockey.I am a fan of Fredrik Backman’s writing and this follow up to “Beartown” did not disappoint.

5 ⭐️ - it was perfect!🎶 Happiness - Taylor Swift“When you strip away all the nonsense surrounding it, the game is simple: everyone gets a stick; there are two teams, two nets. Us against you.”Us Against You was a stunning, heartbreaking, consuming continuation of the Beartown series. This one started a little slow in the beginning since it has a decent amount of recap from book 1, but I was happy to be back with these characters and immediately feeling an array of emotions as their new rivalry unfolded.Backman has a way of writing such complex characters that makes it difficult for me to hate even the very worst of them. I feel like I know this town and these people, so when they face difficulty or challenges or grief I feel it right alongside them. Despite being a hockey-centric series, it’s more so just an achingly realistic depiction of the human experience. Happy endings aren’t always reality, and there’s something tragically beautiful about being able to escape into a series like this. I’ve met some of my most favorite fictional people in Beartown, and while I’m scared for my mental state to read book 3, I’m excited to continue to see these characters grow.What you can expect:📚 contemporary fiction🏒 small hockey town👫 character driven novel😭 emotional story🌪️ consuming, atmospheric writing🧠 mental health representation⌛️ coming of age

I avoided this author for too long! The story is interesting and moves at a good pace. Characters are well developed. The writing is rich, graced with amazing metaphors, and deep with life wisdom. I will read all of Backman’s books now. Don’t miss this! FYI it is the 2nd of a trilogy so read “Beartown” first.

It is a rare thing in an author to make me care so passionately about a group of characters and the town that they live in, but Backman has achieved this beautifully.Without a doubt, my favourite character is Benji. Benji is violent, stubborn, and deeply flawed and is the moral, destructive compass of the book. My fellow readers agreed and throughout the book I found myself chanting 'Not Benji, Not Benji, Not Benji' like some Yoga mantra. Benji is the heart of this book and the violence meted out on him is hard to read at times.But even the other characters are human, flawed and fully rounded - a vicious gossip who will always quietly cook food for anyone who dealing with a bereavement; a taciturn father who will read the Harry Potter stories to his children at night as he learns to live without his wife; a grizzled bar-owner who is the town's mother and a boy with impulse control who just wants to play hockey and is tentatively embarking on his first relationship. The characters are not good or bad, there are no 'black hats or white hats' here. These are deeply human, deeply flawed but all with a core of humanity. They could be one of us, our friends, family or neighbours.Backman, just as in Beartown writes beautiful, strong women; Ramona, Maya, Ana and Benji's 3 wonderful Sisters. All working to stay alive, survivors. I believed in every single one of them.Let me talk about 'The Pack' - a group of Beartown Hockey's toughest supporters, violent and yet all brothers in arms, they stood up for Maya and her father, Peter after the events of the previous book. The hate the rival town of Hed and its hockey team and this spills into a wider conflict - a fight for jobs and economic recovery. All stage-managed by puppet-master Richard Theo.The writing about relationships is beautiful and sensitive. Peter and Kira are struggling and this is all depicted with the metaphor of 2 wine-glasses turning into a single glass. Both craving a moment to sit and just be with each other, but pulled apart by events, and dealing with those on their own.This is a novel about the power of sport, how sport and rivalry can spill into violence and hatred. But ultimately how it can unite and bring love through a shared love of the sport. I defy you not to have a tear in your eye when one team and its supporters, truly broken are uplifted and supported by their greatest rivals.Throughout there is a sense of dread with this novel. I found myself waiting for a punch that I knew was coming. I was truly reading with a heavy load on my back and there was relief in the release. It's hard, yet beautiful.I'm awarding this book 4.75 stars. It nearly was another 5 Star read, but at the start I felt that the first few chapters needed to settle into itself. It is a measure of how good the author is, that I have come to expect only perfection. Also, there was relatively little of another of my favourite characters Amat, and his dignified mother, who I adored in this previous book, but this is really nit-picking now.The rest of the novel is wonderful, awful, emotional and terrifying all at the same time. I loved this and it was an excellent and suitable follow-up to Beartown.

In true Backman style, it’ll draw you in, lead you astray, and tear you apart. I read Beartown, the first book in this series, in May last year. I took a chance on a book about hockey, only to fear its sequel wouldn’t live up to the small town’s original magic. I’ve never been happier to be so wrong.Backman’s writing isn’t overly complex. But it still has an enthralling and addictive quality that makes it difficult to resist. And it’ll leave you with a book hangover. His tone of voice is so realistic, so frank, and so straightforward. That quality, mixed with Backman’s natural storytelling ability and intricate web of characters is what makes this series of books so special. It has the captivating feature of a good story, with the poignant touch of pragmatic reality.In a similar essence to Beartown, this book’s atmosphere is somehow both nostalgic and claustrophobic at the same time – like living in a small town. This story takes place only three months after the last, but the number of characters increases and so does the level of heart. While it was easy to have one favourite in Beartown, I really struggled to single out just one character in Us Against You. The storylines in the book are richer, with deeper roots and even heftier consequences.I absolutely love how layered and nuanced the characters in this book feel. They’re not just elements of fiction, they’re personalities that you get to know and understand. They have quirks and habits that you come to know so well you can almost predict, which is why it’s so easy to get lost in their lives. Plus, the interlinking relationships and storylines gives the book and even stronger pull.There are chapters in Us Against You that are like peering into a pack mentality. It's truly fascinating, but understandable perplexing. Allegiance and loyalty play major roles in packs and teams, but this book questions how far we can be carried without genuine respect, honesty, and trust. I also loved the exploration of masculinity and respect in this book. Some characters chase and crave it, while others barely acknowledge it. It’s insignificant to some, and so crucial it could break bones for others.Following the events of Beartown, this book also dives deeper into anxiety, specifically guilt and paranoia. Although Backman has a humour to his writing, can write with sarcasm, and effortlessly deliver deadpan expressions, the milder and warmer tone of voice when exploring such topics was very refreshing. Still, I love that the author doesn’t shy away from honesty in his writing. There are some sentences that are hard to read. So despite the sensitive storylines, the perspective feels balanced.Us Against You highlights the best and worst in humans, and the strengths and flaws in love. It’s a story of devotion and redemption, and like many of Backman’s books, leaves plenty of room for poignant and deep discussions. There are some moments that are full of tranquillity and quiet, and others that are so tense you’re holding your breath. And while it may not have the same tight grip on me Beartown had, it’s still just as spectacular.After loving A Man Called Ove, Beartown, and Anxious People, I can’t wait to see what Backman gives us next. The third book, Those Who Run Towards Fire, is already on my pre-order list.

How do you follow up a masterpiece like Beartown? Why, write another one, of course. And that’s exactly what Fredrik Backman has done with Us Against You. I feared that it wouldn’t live up to its predecessor. But I couldn’t have been more wrong.It’s three years since I read Beartown, but the place and the people live so large in my memory, returning there felt like coming home. But, it was to a changed Beartown — a community broken and divided, scarred by wounds that might never heal. A town overwhelmed by anger, fear and outright hatred. And it’s in this shadow that it must fight to retain its identity — as an ice hockey town.It took me far longer than it should have to read this book, so often did I have to pause just to marvel at a phrase, a sentence, a passage. When it comes to metaphor, Backman reigns supreme amongst his peers. His prose is so meticulously constructed, not a single word is wasted. I savored every one like it was manna from heaven.You see, Backman doesn’t just tell a story, he makes you live the story, breathe the atmosphere, experience the emotion. In his hands, Beartown takes on a presence and energy that rises up from the page and swallows you whole.And there’s more: Backman is an author with the most incredible insight into human nature and connections. So every character, every action is in some measure relatable and authentic.For me, though, in this novel a-sparkle with gems, the most exquisite is neither the prose nor the story, nor even the characters. It’s the nameless narrator: the all-seeing, all-knowing voice, whose observations and philosophical reflections are tiny pearls of wisdom, to be exclaimed over, picked up and admired.Us Against You has branded itself on my soul.Thanks for reading my review. I hope you found it helpful. You can find more candid book reviews on my Amazon profile page.

I suspect my main issue with this book is that it isn't Beartown. Beartown won a special place in my heart and little if anything was ever going to be able to rival it for my affections. Us Against You makes a reasonable attempt, but falls just that little bit short of the target set by its predecessor. This is undoubtedly beautifully written and stunningly translated, but it didn't quite hold me in the same way that Beartown did. It can't be the characters, for although all of the previous favourites return for this sequel there are some new characters that take your breath away. Aspects of the last book that were touched on are developed and expanded, with the black jackets being of particular importance, but by no means are they the only ones.As with his previous novel however, Backman touches on so many issues that are hidden within a commmunity; both the large and the small, the good and the bad. He has a way with words and sometimes his words really do just take your breath away. Sometimes I found myself re-reading a paragraph for exactly that reason. And at the finale, he knows how to use those same words to break your heart into a thousand pieces. Backman's writing makes most other authors look clumsy in comparison and his characterisations can make you weep.But it still didn't quite hit the pinacle of Beartown and there's possibly a couple of reasons for that. Firstly, the tone is far less innocent I suppose. Whereas Beartown is all surrounded by individuals actions and the way they can spiral a situation out of control, Us Against You is just as heavily based on one mans ability to manipulate a series of situations and a variety of people. All of the events were far more calculated and whilst that made for a good read, it didn't make for the spell-binding read that Beartown was. Beartown didn't need a single individual's meddling fingers to keep the events spiralling... this did, and that detracted from the tone of the novel quite a bit for me.I also found the constant active foretelling of something dark on the horizon to be somewhat tedious after a while, particularly when everything is so slowly paced. Whereas with Beartown you get build up and repurcussions in almost equal proportion with the events spiralling out of control somewhere in the middle, here it is nearly all build up. It's well written build up and it showcases the characters beautifully, but it's missing something. And when I hit the finale, I won't deny that I cried, but somehow I can't help but feel that the book wasn't quite balanced as perfectly as Beartown.But at the same time, this still reflects some of the greatest lights within humanity at the same time as it shines a glow on some of the darkest. It is still beautifully written with passages that will haunt me for long to come. It is still a novel about humanity; about loss and love, marriage and belonging, community and hatred. It still has those astonishing nuances and interlinking characters, with stories that spill over unwillingly into others lives. It's still a story about ice hockey and it is still so much more than that. Is it Beartown? No, not quite. Is it worth something in and of itself however? Yes, beyond a shadow of a doubt.

I loved the Beartown book, so was confident that I would enjoy this too.Once again its so compelling and I was immediately drawn into Beartown and Backman really draws you in to the community. Once more, I felt that I lived and had grown up in this town.The writing is beautiful and there is so much heart and emotion. It really is special.This book focused less on the hockey and more on the people. I think 'Beartown' had a greater balance and ultimately a more believable story.I felt that the author wanted to develop the stories of the people of Beartown but may have been better served doing a few more books as this one has such a lot going on and it felt a bit busy at times.The writing is incredible and teh charcaters are brilliant. I can really pay the book and the author no greater compliment than to say that despite being based in the North of England that 'WE ARE THE BEARS FROM BEARTOWN