Reviews

• “Backman’s ability to tell stories in pictures is one of his strongest merits, not least how he describes relationships. /…/ It’s rare that one cares about so many characters in a book, and seldom that one comes so close to a whole community. But the leading role in Backman’s novels about Beartown is, after all, played by the sports community. It’s a love declaration of the highest order.”

• “A brilliant sequel. /…/ Backman writes about loyalty and love, but also captures the feelings of athletes in a vibrant way.”

• “Backman knows how to construct a thrilling plot, and what he writes engages. /…/ And when he hits his stride among the emotions, the sentimental turns into an asset – like a hockey puck straight to the heart.”

• “Fredrik Backman writes wonderfully about men, with a love and understanding for the ones who would rather solve conflicts with their fists. It’s hard not to love it.”

• “It’s obvious that Fredrik Backman loves sports and no one is as good at evoking feelings as he is. You are thrown between laughter and tears in the space of one sentence to the next. At the same time, this might be his most earnest and serious, if you can understand what I mean, novel to date. It takes an even bigger grip on the world than the previous novel in the series did. Now we can only wait for the next chapter.”

• “Backman (A Man Called Ove) returns to the hockey-obsessed village of his previous novel Beartown to chronicle the passion, violence, resilience, and humanity of the people who live there in this engrossing tale of small-town Swedish life. /…/ Backman’s excellent novel has an atmosphere of both Scandinavian folktale and Greek tragedy. Darkness and grit exist alongside tenderness and levity, creating a blunt realism that brings the setting’s small-town atmosphere to vivid life.”

• “Evident in all his novels is an apparent ability to state a truth about humanity with breathtaking elegance.”

• “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. /…/ Backman’s 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.”

• “Readers, take a break from the heat this summer to visit the icy streets of Beartown. Immerse yourself in Us Against You, for once you open this book, you won't be able to resist falling into the hockey town out in the woods. Live among the residents for a few days. I guarantee that it will be tough to say goodbye when you turn the last page. Fredrik Backman has a rare talent for reaching inside his readers and coaxing out their deepest emotions while weaving a riveting tale that stays with you for a long time. Don't miss out on this phenomenal novel.”

• “There is even more potential for book group discussion here as Backman explores violence, political maneuvering, communities, feminism, sexuality, criminality, the role of sports in society, and what makes us all tick.”

• “Through Backman’s astute examination of humanity, Us Against You will elicit snickers and full-blown belly laughs. It will rip out hearts, then replace them stronger than before. Most of all, it is sure to prompt readers to examine their lives in order to be better people, if only in microscopic ways.”

• “The sequel to Beartown is finally here, and it does not disappoint.”

• “Dark and gritty, but peppered with moments of breath-catching hope.”

• “What you get in a Fredrik Backman work is wonderful writing and brilliant insights into things that truly matter — right vs. wrong, fear vs. courage, love vs. hate, the importance and limits of friendship and loyalty, and more. Fredrik Backman is one of the world’s best and most interesting novelists. He is a giant among the world’s great novelists — and this literary giant is still growing.”

• “In his dark but warmhearted way, Backman is a psychologist, and his insights are on display again in Us Against You. /…/ He creates an astute emotional world much bigger than a small Swedish town. It’s a novel you can sink into.”

• “Deftly explores recovery and rebirth.”

• “This is a tale of the pitfalls of group mentality as well as the loss of an innocence we all take for granted – and it will grip you from start to finish.”

• “Just as the cult TV hit Friday Night Lights wasn’t just about high-school football, this sequel to Beartown is about more than small-town hockey. Us Against You is a story of hopes, dreams, loyalty, friendship, and – after someone is left for dead – the lengths people will go to for the love of the game.”

• “Us Against You is an excellent novel that’s easy to read and skillfully handles great themes. /…/ The world created by Backman lives and breathes and the characters are both human and complex.”

• “Backman uses an abundance of thrilling hints about upcoming events, and it works. You simply have to continue reading. The story is wonderful, deeply touching and very thought-provoking, and hats off again to the author’s ability to portray people and trends in society. The novel plays on your entire register of emotions, and you live and breathe alongside the many different characters, all of which are precisely and empathetically depicted.”

• “A beautiful and brutal drama.”

• “Fredrik Backman is one of Sweden’s best authors. He’s mastered how to depict a village and its citizens so that you both love and hate them. /…/ Backman writes with emotion, and it goes straight to your heart. /…/ As always with Backman, there’s still hope for humanity, because where there is violence and hatred, there is also forgiveness and love.”

• “We have a rare book for you. [Us Against You] is not only about hockey and sports. It’s about everything that makes a man a man.”

• “Backman is a natural-born storyteller.”

• “Backman keeps you hooked from the first to the last page. For all Beartown fans, Us Against You feels like coming home.”

• “A gripping novel.”

• “The Swedish author Fredrik Backman is addictive. /…/ As exciting as he is poignant – the tone is distanced, but possesses an extraordinary emotional force.”