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A review by suprita
Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Perhaps one day he’ll find words for that feeling of being different. How physical it is. Exclusion is a form of exhaustion that eats its way into your skeleton... Three little words used to describe weakness, stupidity, anything that didn’t function properly. Anything that was defective... It’s only words. Only letters. Only a human being.”
Welcome back to Beartown. A town that lost its way, fell and is now dying. In Us Against You, Fredrik Backman brings us a heart wrenching story of two towns, two teams, and what it means to believe in something bigger than yourself. One post does not do justice to this book. 2,200 characters is not enough. For this post I’m going to focus on how the book made me feel. So, this is not really a book review.
Backman takes words and turns them into something more. He turns them into emotions. And then he uses those very emotions to break your heart. If Beartown was the author ripping our hearts out, Us Against You is him throwing it on the floor and stomping on it while you helplessly watch from a corner. Because you can’t stop yourself. Because he’s that good. Backman is famous for writing books that test you not only as a reader but also as a person. It’s hard to read this book, but as the Bears from Beartown will tell you with a grin, “It’s supposed to be hard”.
I loved it and I hated it. I laughed and I cried. I shut the book and threw it away. I picked it back up and held it close. I took many breaks in between but I always came back for more, because by then this book and it’s characters had become a part of me. Their wins were mine to savour and their tragedies were mine to bear, and trust me there’s plenty of both in this book.
Backman is a master when it comes to writing grey characters. You can dislike his characters but never hate them because he’ll make sure to show you that they are only human after all, flawed and imperfect like all of us. He is not afraid of tarnishing his “heroes” and redeeming his “villains”.
Read this one. But be sure to pace yourself.
Welcome back to Beartown. A town that lost its way, fell and is now dying. In Us Against You, Fredrik Backman brings us a heart wrenching story of two towns, two teams, and what it means to believe in something bigger than yourself. One post does not do justice to this book. 2,200 characters is not enough. For this post I’m going to focus on how the book made me feel. So, this is not really a book review.
Backman takes words and turns them into something more. He turns them into emotions. And then he uses those very emotions to break your heart. If Beartown was the author ripping our hearts out, Us Against You is him throwing it on the floor and stomping on it while you helplessly watch from a corner. Because you can’t stop yourself. Because he’s that good. Backman is famous for writing books that test you not only as a reader but also as a person. It’s hard to read this book, but as the Bears from Beartown will tell you with a grin, “It’s supposed to be hard”.
I loved it and I hated it. I laughed and I cried. I shut the book and threw it away. I picked it back up and held it close. I took many breaks in between but I always came back for more, because by then this book and it’s characters had become a part of me. Their wins were mine to savour and their tragedies were mine to bear, and trust me there’s plenty of both in this book.
Backman is a master when it comes to writing grey characters. You can dislike his characters but never hate them because he’ll make sure to show you that they are only human after all, flawed and imperfect like all of us. He is not afraid of tarnishing his “heroes” and redeeming his “villains”.
Read this one. But be sure to pace yourself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, and Death
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Homophobia, Rape, and Violence
Minor: Child death, Drug use, and Self harm