Oh, wow. A second book review in a span of a few days? A new record for sure. But then it testifies just how good Fredrik Backman is.

I started reading this book once I finished with Beartown, and feeling helpless. I needed to know how it ends for my favorite (fictional) characters, and it’s such a good feeling to only discover it has a sequel right after finishing Beartown - oh how fast I looked and downloaded the ebook.

And..now that I finished the book, I feel somewhat content.

I am not a sports fan. But somehow I could get through both books about hockey. If that isn’t a compliment, I don’t know what is. While the first book, Beartown entails the sexual assault; the second book, Us Against You entails the aftermath of the case and how the characters are reeling from it. The family, the town, the friendships; old and new. I quickly feel drawn to Benji, and discovered how damaged he is. How charming he is (nothing surprising there, we’re always drawn to the bad boys). But his story is the saddest part of this book. 

The marriage between Peter and Kira - it’s amazing how well the author articulates the relationship. I could relate to everything to them, it’s as if reading about my own, in some parts. I could relate to Kira so well.

She came home early today to cook for the children and do the washing and cleaning. Now she’s working again, but without her bosses seeing: she puts in more hours than any of her colleagues but will soon be known in the office as the woman who always go home early

She says “of course” even though she feels like yelling “and what about my job?”

 

As usual, the buildup of the characters are wonderful. You quickly feel like you’re a part of the town. Reading about Beartown (the town) makes me reminisce the small town I lived in back in 2007; the snow, the forest, everything. I guess that’s part of why I was so drawn to the story. 

The end of the book feels like a closure, finally. And now I can move on.

I have a feeling these two books would become a classic literature in the years to come. Movies, of course. I’d be the first to watch.