Us Against You: From the New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and Anxious People (Björnstad, 2)

Backman can tickle the funny bone and tug on the heart strings when he needs to, and is a clever enough storyteller to not overindulge in either

What you get in a Fredrik Backman work is wonderful writing and
brilliant insights into things that truly matter - right vs. wrong, fear vs.
courage, love vs. hate, the importance and limits of friendship and
loyalty, and more. Fredrik Backman is one of the world's best and most
interesting novelists. He is a giant among the world's great novelists -and this literary giant is still growing.

In his dark but warmhearted way, Backman is a psychologist, and his
insights are on display again in Us Against You...he creates an astute
emotional world much bigger than a small Swedish town. It's a novel youcan sink into.

If Alexander McCall Smith's and Maeve Binchy's novels had a love
child, the result would be the work of Swedish writer Fredrik Backman /
.../ Backman's novels have wide appeal, and for good reason. Us Against
You takes a lyrical look at how a community heals, how families recoverand how individuals grow.

Backman (A Man Called Ove) returns to the hockey-obsessed village of
his previous novel Beartown to chronicle the passion, violence,
resilience, and humanity of the people who live there in this engrossing
tale of small-town Swedish life /.../ Backman's excellent novel has an
atmosphere of both Scandinavian folktale and Greek tragedy. Darkness
and grit exist alongside tenderness and levity, creating a blunt realismthat brings the setting's small-town atmosphere to vivid life.

There is even more potential for book group discussion here as
Backman explores violence, political maneuvering, communities,
feminism, sexuality, criminality, the role of sports in society, and whatmakes us all tick.

Readers, take a break from the heat this summer to visit the icy streets
of Beartown. Immerse yourself in Us Against You, for once you open this
book, you won't be able to resist falling into the hockey town out in the
woods. Live among the residents for a few days. I guarantee that it will
be tough to say goodbye when you turn the last page. Fredrik Backman
has a rare talent for reaching inside his readers and coaxing out their
deepest emotions while weaving a riveting tale that stays with you for along time. Don't miss out on this phenomenal novel.

Through Backman's astute examination of humanity, Us Against You will elicit snickers and full-blown belly laughs. It will rip out hearts, then
replace them stronger than before. Most of all, it is sure to prompt
readers to examine their lives in order to be better people, if only inmicroscopic ways.

This is a tale of the pitfalls of group mentality as well as the loss of an
innocence we all take for granted - and it will grip you from start to finish.

Just as the cult TV hit Friday Night Lights wasn't just about high-school
football, this sequel to Beartown is about more than small-town hockey.
Us Against You is a story of hopes, dreams, loyalty, friendship, and - after
someone is left for dead - the lengths people will go to for the love of the game.

Backman uses an abundance of thrilling hints about upcoming events,
and it works. You simply have to continue reading. The story is
wonderful, deeply touching and very thought-provoking, and hats off
again to the author's ability to portray people and trends in society. The
novel plays on your entire register of emotions, and you live and breathe
alongside the many different characters, all of which are precisely and empathetically depicted.

Fredrik Backman is one of Sweden's best authors. He's mastered how
to depict a village and its citizens so that you both love and hate them.
/.../ Backman writes with emotion, and it goes straight to your heart. /.../
As always with Backman, there's still hope for humanity, because wherethere is violence and hatred, there is also forgiveness and love.

Us Against You is an excellent novel that's easy to read and skillfully
handles great themes. /.../ The world created by Backman lives andbreathes and the characters are both human and complex.

Fredrik Backman writes wonderfully about men, with a love and
understanding for the ones who would rather solve conflicts with theirfists. It's hard not to love it.

Backman knows how to construct a thrilling plot, and what he writes
engages. /.../ And when he hits his stride among the emotions, the
sentimental turns into an asset - like a hockey puck straight to the heart.