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Bang. Bang. Bang. Hearts beating, hockey pucks slamming, shots being fired.

Us Against You takes up right after Beartown finishes. And if anything, things seem to have gotten worse for the town and its occupants. This book grabbed me from the get go. It delves right into all the important issues. Everyone is hurting and I felt for each one of them. This book has a lot of characters and each one comes across as a real person, even the sleazy politician. I was also amazed that despite the large number of folks, I had no trouble keeping them straight.

This book makes you feel all the emotions - anger at the injustice, sadness, anxiety, shock.

It seemed with every page turn (or in my case, minute of listening), the reader is asked to consider another moral dilemma. This book makes you think. What and whom are we responsible for? What’s the greater good? What would you do for your family? It’s not an easy book. It’s a testament to Backman’s strength as a writer that the book doesn’t come across as some didactic moral saga.

There’s an undercurrent of dry humor here, especially when the topic is politics. But more often than not, what you’ll feel is sadness.

One definitely needs to have read Beartown first. This does not work as a standalone. (Plus, you don’t want to miss Beartown as it is equally amazing.)

Five big stars!

One more thing� this is not a good book to listen to while driving or biking. Tears tend to blur eyesight and laughing aloud when biking alone elicits some curious glances.