Can a broken town survive a second tragedy? The follow-up to the international bestseller Beartown.
Number 1 New York Times bestseller FREDRIK BACKMAN made his literary debut in 2012 with the global sensation A Man Called Ove - now in development as a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks. Wickedly funny, touching and wise, Fredrik Backman's novels are odysseys of the ordinary man and woman, and stunningly moving tales of everyday courage. Up to now, Fredrik Backman has written six highly acclaimed novels, two heartfelt novellas about life and love, and one non-fiction book about parenthood. His books have sold more than 15 million copies in 46 languages and the Swedish film adaption of A Man Called Ove was nominated for two Academy Awards. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children.
Praise for Beartown and Fredrik Backman
*:*
I utterly believed in the residents of Beartown, and felt ripped
apart by the events in the book
*bestselling author of Me Before You*
Surrounded by impenetrable forests, it recreates the stifling
atmosphere of a dying community. This is a mature, compassionate
novel
*The Sunday Times*
Backman can tickle the funny bone and tug on the heart strings when
he needs to, and is a clever enough storyteller to not overindulge
in either
*Independent*
As popular Swedish exports go, Backman is up there with ABBA and
Stieg Larsson.
*The New York Times Book Review*
Friday Night Lights for Swedes
*O Magazine*
A kind of problem play that moves extremely skilfully near the
melodramatic without derailing. Its originality is substantial and
the book credibly conveys the dual faces of everyday life. An
impressive novel, like no other
*BTJ, Sweden*
Praise for Us Against You
*-*
A story about families, about friendship and loyalty, inequality,
female vulnerability, male back-slapping, and parenthood ... No
person's story is too little to be told, Backman includes them all.
A novel with a big heart
*Jönköpings-Posten, Sweden*
Evident in all [Backman] novels is an apparent ability to state a
truth about humanity with breathtaking elegance
*Kirkus Reviews*
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
*Canadian Living*
Backman is the Dickens of our age, and though you'll cry, your
heart is safe in his hands
*Green Valley News, Arizona*
Backman is a masterful writer, his characters familiar yet
distinct, flawed yet heroic. . . There are scenes that bring tears,
scenes of gut-wrenching despair, and moments of sly humor. . .Like
Friday Night Lights, this is about more than youth sports; it's
part coming-of-age novel, part study of moral failure, and finally
a chronicle of groupthink in which an unlikely hero steps forward
to save more than one person from self-destruction. A thoroughly
empathetic examination of the fragile human spirit, Backman's
latest will resonate a long time.
*Kirkus Reviews*
A light hearted, deeply moving novel about a grumpy but loveable
curmudgeon who finds his solitary world
*CBS Local*
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
*Göteborgs-Posten, Sweden*
Mr. Backman cements his standing as a writer of astonishing depth
and proves that he also has very broad range plus the remarkable
ability to make you understand the feelings of each of a dozen
different characters. . . . The story is fully packed with wise
insights into the human experience causing characters and readers
to ponder life's great question of who we are, what we hope to be
and how we should lead our lives
*The Washington Times*
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
*Dagens Nyheter, Sweden*
A brilliant sequel . . . Backman writes about loyalty and love, but
also captures the feelings of athletes in a vibrant way
*Skaraborgs Allehanda, Sweden*
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
*Landskrona Posten, Sweden*
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
*Värmlands Folkblad, Sweden*
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.
*Washington Times, US*
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
youcan sink into.
*Chicago Tribune, US*
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
recoverand how individuals grow.
*Washington Post, US*
Deftly explores recovery and rebirth.
*US Weekly, US*
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
realismthat brings the setting's small-town atmosphere to vivid
life.
*Publishers Weekly, US*
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 whatmakes us all tick.
*Library Journal *Starred Review*, US*
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 along time. Don't miss out on this phenomenal novel.
*The Book Reporter, US*
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 inmicroscopic ways.
*Shelf Awareness , US*
Dark and gritty, but peppered with moments of breath-catching
hope.
*Modern Mrs. Darcy, US*
The sequel to Beartown is finally here, and it does not
disappoint.
*Hello Giggles, US*
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.
*Canadian Living, Canada*
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.
*Hello! Canada, Canada*
We have a rare book for you. [Us Against You] is not only about
hockeyand sports. It's about everything that makes a man a man.
*Pravo, Czech Republic*
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.
*Litteratursiden, Denmark*
A beautiful and brutal drama.
*Kristeligt Dagblad, Denmark*
"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
wherethere is violence and hatred, there is also forgiveness and
love."
*Bogblogger, Denmark*
Us Against You is an excellent novel that's easy to read and
skillfully
handles great themes. /.../ The world created by Backman lives
andbreathes and the characters are both human and complex.
*Aamuset, Finland*
Backman keeps you hooked from the first to the last page. For
allBeartown fans, Us Against You feels like coming home.
*Hebban, Netherlands*
Fredrik Backman writes wonderfully about men, with a love and
understanding for the ones who would rather solve conflicts with
theirfists. It's hard not to love it.
*Dagens Nyheter, Sweden*
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.
*Landskrona Posten, Sweden*
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