The companion/sequel to the beloved Beartown, this novel picks up just a few months after the end of the first installment. Set in a tiny northern town, Us Against You follows a season of hockey rivalry and it’s implications for the humans who are touched by it. But trust me, this is so much more than a book about a sports team.

Backman has an incredible ability to make you feel so many things while also making the story feel wildly ordinary. He is masterful at building tension and not reducing any character down into an un-dimensional plot tool. I will always come back to the idea that what makes these books so powerful is that they could be any small town with people reckoning with choices and struggling with priorities. 

While I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the first (the beginning was a little hard to get into and some of the points of foreshadowing/suspense felt more heavy-handed than in Beartown), it is truly a fantastic novel. I remain in awe of Backman’s skill!