Us Against You

Us Against You is the last book that I read in 2018, and it is the sequel to Beartown, a story about which I raved. This sequel lets you know how the author thinks the lives of the townspeople turn out – how their love for an conflicts with each other come to pass. Fredrik Backman is a master storyteller, which is my ultimate compliment to an author, and this book does not disappoint. The last two books of the year were also the best ones I’ve written, not to diminish my praise of Eliot Peper, Daniel Silva, C.J. Boxx, David Urban, Ken Bruen and so many others. Backman has written a story about a small hockey town in Sweden, but it is really a story of the relationships of people who are caught up in the sport for various reasons. If you don’t like sports book, no worries. These two books were recommended by my wife who is definitely not a fan of sports books, and they were the two best novels that I read in 2018.

Beartown

Fredrik Backman has written one hell of a novel, Beartown, recommended to me by my wife and daughter. It’s a coming of age/crime/sports novel that takes place in a “hockey town.” It begins as a sports story of high school boys who live in a small foreign town, perhaps Sweden. For generations, remote Beartown has lived and died with the success of their teams at the Beartown Ice Hockey Club – but not much good has happened in recent years until Kevin Erdahl came along. Now he promises to bring so much to his home town because of his incredible hockey prowess. Kevin and all of his teammates are coming of age, teen boys and girls, including the general manager’s daughter, Maya Andersson. The crime is a rape, committed by Kevin, and it tears the town apart. The author is extremely skilled at character development and presenting a complex topic. This is one of my top books of the year, and I’m about to dive into the sequel.