Us Against You
Beartown
Fiction
Atria Books
June 5, 2018
E-book
448
Publisher via NetGalley
After everything that the citizens of Beartown have gone through, they are struck yet another blow when they hear that their beloved local hockey team will soon be disbanded. What makes it worse is the obvious satisfaction that all the former Beartown players, who now play for a rival team in Hed, take in that fact. Amidst the mounting tension between the two rivals, a surprising newcomer is handpicked to be Beartown’s new hockey coach.
Soon a new team starts to take shape around Amat, the fastest player you’ll ever see; Benji, the intense lone wolf; and Vidar, a born-to-be-bad troublemaker. But bringing this team together proves to be a challenge as old bonds are broken, new ones are formed, and the enmity with Hed grows more and more acute.
As the big match approaches, the not-so-innocent pranks and incidents between the communities pile up and their mutual contempt grows deeper. By the time the last game is finally played, a resident of Beartown will be dead, and the people of both towns will be forced to wonder if, after all they’ve been through, the game they love can ever return to something simple and innocent.
My review:
Make no mistake, this man can tell a story like no other! With the first in the series (Beartown) taking the top spot of the more than 200 books I read last year, this was probably my most anticipated book this year. I liked it, but not anywhere near as much as Beartown. It certainly was not because of the writing, which remains just as beautiful and sharp as all of Backman's previous works. It was not the well written characters, especially not my favorite Benji, who has a big storyline in this one. This is going to sound strange coming from someone who doesn't gravitate toward sports books, but I missed the hockey in this one! The first game doesn't happen until 3/4 of the way through, and I found myself just waiting for the excitement of the game. Instead of the hockey, there was more violence and politics in this one. There are still many of the same characters who we grew to love in Beartown, and some story lines throughout kept my interest, but I just didn't have quite the overall love for the entire book. Having said all that, it's still a very good book, and second books in a series are known to be way too hyped. I'm still going to be excited to pick up the last in series, whenever that may be.
Although in my opinion not as good as its predecessor, this is still a well written book with lots of characters you will root for. Just know going in that the hockey takes a back seat in this one to more of a political plot within the neighboring towns.
I may need to buckle down and finally read this author. Everyone is raving about his books!