Before I get started, here’s the anthology link! Thanks to everyone for your support!

Anyway, I loved ‘Beartown’ and was excited to jump into the sequel, ‘Us Against You,’ and Backman did not disappoint. The story is dark, almost harrowing for most of the book, but Backman puts just enough hope around every corner to keep you reading until the end. As Backman himself puts it:

“Sometimes people have to be allowed to have something to live for in order to survive everything else.”

Conflicting philosophies guide the inhabitants of Beartown as their failing hockey team goes head to head against the booming neighbor town of Hed. This is a true underdog story, pitting the value of loyalty and honor against those who seek to win at any cost. Backman paints the picture through his many characters’ unique perspectives, canvasing the whole town from many smaller viewpoints. His ability to shift from headspace to headspace is my favorite part of the novel because all the characters’ inner lives are so varied and interesting. You always know who you’re reading despite the way Backman head hops from place to place, person to person, as rapidly as any film can. Sometimes it can be a little clunky, but man. When it works, it really works. I was always excited to see how the next character was doing, how they’d react to last scene they were in with another character, who they’d go to see and how the story would evolve. The book plays out so organically it’s hard not to fall in love with all the characters, even the ones that you know are a little despicable.

My only complaint about the book this time around was that Backman’s writing can be a little … strange? Backman is Swedish, and the book is a translation, so I think this may be due to the language barrier. For instance, I have no idea what this statement describing a conversational quirk of one character, Benji, actually means:

“… a carefree little quiver of the corners of his lips that people find very hard not to find infectious.“

And just a little later:

“The corners of his mouth are dancing again.”

I think it’s meant to convey his interest in the person he’s talking to, but I’m not sure. All I could picture was that meme of Thierry Henry.

The story however is amazing, albeit painfully tragic at times. I won’t go too deep into the plot (seeing as this is a sequel) but the power of this book certainly lies in how the characters grow to meet the difficult circumstances of their lives. Their hardships are faced down with a lot of grit, sometimes so much that it gets them into further trouble. Every touching moment that results is wholly earned, and that much more satisfying for being so difficult to achieve. Backman creates such a convincing narrative that by the end I almost believe I’ve driven through places like Beartown and Hed, lived there even. Every once in a while I just had to stop and remind myself that I’m reading fiction so as not to get too overwhelmed. It’s a deep, frigid lake that you somehow want to jump into, and the warming fire that you find when you come out as well. I can’t recommend this series enough.

Thank you for reading,

Benjamin Hawley