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heybrendenhay 's review for:
Us Against You
by Fredrik Backman
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It took me over a year to pick up the second book in this series, not for a lack of wanting but because I knew I needed to be prepared for the emotions that Backman’s writing was sure to deliver. While I had no idea what this series would hold, it is becoming one of the most memorable reads of my life. This book was about the aftermath of a tragedy in a small town, a group of young hockey players grappling with their masculinity and identity, and about the human nature of of people who are trying to make do in whatever way they can, and the fallout from the hurt and mistakes that occur as a result. Throughout the book, I was thrown between feeling unrelenting hope to being utterly destroyed, one moment relishing in the pride of Beartown to then feeling overwhelmed by the sheer hatred and violence directed at or by characters I love. I read over 300 pages today to finish this because I simply needed to see how these stories all played out, and this complex web of characters and plots and passions and loyalties and betrayals came together beautifully. I will be finishing this series and reading more of Backman’s work, because his prose simply has struck me in a way few authors have, as I was tearing up just over the chapter titles at times. 5/5 stars, a perfect compliment to Beartown and I am excited to finish the series, even if I have to wait and fully digest this part first.
“It’s hard to care about people. Exhausting, in fact, because empathy is a complicated thing. It requires us to accept that everyone else’s lives are also going on the whole time. We have no pause button for when everything gets too much for us to deal with, but then neither does anyone else.”
“It’s hard to care about people. Exhausting, in fact, because empathy is a complicated thing. It requires us to accept that everyone else’s lives are also going on the whole time. We have no pause button for when everything gets too much for us to deal with, but then neither does anyone else.”