Book Review: US AGAINST YOU by Fredrik Backman

     Since I loved the novel "BEARTOWN", it was an absolute no-brainer for me to continue on with the series. I picked up a copy of "US AGAINST YOU" from my public library, and it quite literally picked up where "BEARTOWN" left off. 


    The memories and events are still fresh in the minds of all the Beartown inhabitants. They haven't moved on completely and it just shows us how a single horrific event can have exponential and reverberating effects on the minds of people and in the conscience of society as a whole. 

   There are sad and horrific events juxtaposed with heartwarming and hopeful moments. Since this is the second book of the BEARTOWN Series, the readers are already attached to the characters and plot. This attachment makes the events that unfold in this novel even more heart wrenching and personal. Through the power of his writing, Backman has inadvertently made us BEARTOWN citizens too. And this honorary citizenship makes us cheer for the Beartown victories and mourn for the Beartown losses.  

   This sequel was successful in continuing the linear story telling without losing its flow from the original novel. No stones were left untouched. Even though new characters were introduced in this novel, the author was triumphant in maintaining the continuity of the story arc without leaving anyone behind from the original. 

  One area deeply explored by this sequel is the shades of morality that exists in white, black and often grey. The bad sides of supposedly "good" people were shown along with the good sides of allegedly "bad" people. Then the vastly grey area of at times pious, and at times shrewd individuals. 

  I personally was so emotionally invested in the novel that I had to turn some pages with a heavy heart. Just like several other Backman novels, this one also gives us a feeling of melancholic warmth. Maybe that is the reason why I keep going back to reading his works. Anyways, I have already picked up the next book in the series "THE WINNERS" (#3) and cannot wait to embark on that journey.

-Rithin.
@hues.and.dews.poetry 

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