Review: Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

For Beartown, it doesn’t matter what the question is; hockey is the answer. In this small town where jobs are being lost, crimes committed and hearts broken, ice hockey remains a constant. That’s why the entire town throws all their devotion and passion behind the hockey team. It’s also why the town is so devastated when many of their star players transfer to the rival town’s team – to Hed hockey. Now, where jaunts were hurled and tempers flared between the two small towns, something far more sinister is evolving; a true form of hatred between the two communities, which will leave no family unscathed.

At the heart of this change is the Andersson family. When Maya suffered at the hands of Beartown’s star hockey player, it was her dad – the team’s manager – who made the call that broke the team apart. As Maya tries to eke out a normal existence as a teenage girl who has faced immense darkness, Peter tries to balance his love of his team with that of his family. Yet Peter’s fingers aren’t the only ones trying to get a grasp on his team – the hands of politicians are trying to grab strands to paint themselves a bigger, different picture, without thought of the casualties.

Fredrik Backman has an immense talent – not only has he delved into the psychology behind sports, and the true implications of teams and brotherhoods, but he’s penned a deeply moving book that is as wildly beautiful as it is emotional. Despite being the second book in a series, Us Against You reads perfectly as a stand-alone novel, in which the reader is thrown into unfamiliar territories which are governed by a myriad of striking characters and perspectives. There’s poetry in a tale that can so flawlessly be told from multiple viewpoints, each reinforcing the idea notion that no man suffers alone, and that no action is without consequence. Backman’s style is clean and unadorned, yet deeply poetic and whimsical. He flits between voices with an ease that is admirable, and proves himself a master story-teller. Who knew that behind an idea as seemingly superficial as a sport, lies so much chaos, redemption, hope and beauty. I look forward to more from Fredrik Backman, and hopefully more from Beartown, for no fictional community has ever felt so real and so tangible. Bravo, Mr. Backman!

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman is published by Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin Random House.