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wordsofclover 's review for:
Us Against You
by Fredrik Backman
I received this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Honestly, this book is just a big emotional sucker punch to the gut and I'm still reeling.
TW: Sexual assault + PTSD, homophobia, gay slurs (multiple uses of the f-word).
Beartown is still struggling to deal with the fallout of the town's rising hockey star being accused of sexual assault by the daughter of the club's general manager. Now Kevin has left town for good, but for Maya she is still struggling to survive in a town that's been torn apart from either believing her, or accusing her of lying. Peter Anderson doesn't know how to stop his family from falling apart while at the same time, his club is also crumbling to dust - and Benji, the town's delinquent son/purest heart is helping others while keeping the biggest secret in his life close to his chest. By the end of the hockey season, someone will be dead and the sporting violence between Beartown and neighbouring Hed will have come to a terrible conclusion.
I love Fredrik Backman's writing - his characters are so full of life in a way I find it hard to see other authors really achieving, and he has a truly unique style to his writing that comes across perfectly even when translated which I think is a feat in itself. Like all his stories, Us Against You is full of self-deprecating humour and wonderful moments between people, while also highlighting the true ugliness in the world against the moments of beauty and hope. While Beartown deals with a heavy topic, I actually as a reader found Us Against You a heavier, harder book to read. I'm not sure I 100% enjoyed myself while reading this and I wonder if "enjoyed" is even the right word for the consumption of a book like this.
In a way I almost felt emotionally manipulated in this book as my feelings were on strings about to snap at any moment throughout the novel. I was so scared for every character even though for some we knew what lay ahead but with others we weren't so sure. I never knew if Leo, Benji or Ana was about to be hurt or something terrible happen. I was afraid for Sune and Peter and even Teemu (who if you're not picturing as Wentworth Miller, what's wrong with you?). The book is written really cleverly because you know enough to be really invested but never enough to feel like you won't be surprised by the next chapter. We might know that a character achieves his dream of becoming an NHL professional, but that doesn't mean we know the struggles of how he got there and the bumps in the road that made him stronger.
Once again, Fredrik Backman proves he can play my emotional strings like an expert fiddler and I'm happy to hand my reader's heart over to him any time!
Honestly, this book is just a big emotional sucker punch to the gut and I'm still reeling.
TW: Sexual assault + PTSD, homophobia, gay slurs (multiple uses of the f-word).
Beartown is still struggling to deal with the fallout of the town's rising hockey star being accused of sexual assault by the daughter of the club's general manager. Now Kevin has left town for good, but for Maya she is still struggling to survive in a town that's been torn apart from either believing her, or accusing her of lying. Peter Anderson doesn't know how to stop his family from falling apart while at the same time, his club is also crumbling to dust - and Benji, the town's delinquent son/purest heart is helping others while keeping the biggest secret in his life close to his chest. By the end of the hockey season, someone will be dead and the sporting violence between Beartown and neighbouring Hed will have come to a terrible conclusion.
I love Fredrik Backman's writing - his characters are so full of life in a way I find it hard to see other authors really achieving, and he has a truly unique style to his writing that comes across perfectly even when translated which I think is a feat in itself. Like all his stories, Us Against You is full of self-deprecating humour and wonderful moments between people, while also highlighting the true ugliness in the world against the moments of beauty and hope. While Beartown deals with a heavy topic, I actually as a reader found Us Against You a heavier, harder book to read. I'm not sure I 100% enjoyed myself while reading this and I wonder if "enjoyed" is even the right word for the consumption of a book like this.
In a way I almost felt emotionally manipulated in this book as my feelings were on strings about to snap at any moment throughout the novel. I was so scared for every character even though for some we knew what lay ahead but with others we weren't so sure. I never knew if Leo, Benji or Ana was about to be hurt or something terrible happen. I was afraid for Sune and Peter and even Teemu (who if you're not picturing as Wentworth Miller, what's wrong with you?). The book is written really cleverly because you know enough to be really invested but never enough to feel like you won't be surprised by the next chapter. We might know that a character achieves his dream of becoming an NHL professional, but that doesn't mean we know the struggles of how he got there and the bumps in the road that made him stronger.
Once again, Fredrik Backman proves he can play my emotional strings like an expert fiddler and I'm happy to hand my reader's heart over to him any time!