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6 stars!

Six stars because I liked this one even better than the glorious 5-star Beartown.

Wow! Fredrik Backman understands human nature better than anyone I’ve ever met or ever read. We are taken deep, deep, deep into the minds of virtually all the characters in this story. And Backman nails it. These people are so real! Us Against You is a spell-binding masterpiece and my favorite Fredrik Backman book so far (out of 6 novels) though each of them earned 5 stars from me. Us Against You addresses many issues in many characters in an extraordinary manner. There really isn’t one main protagonist. There are many. And each one is developed intimately. The themes of the novel are numerous yet meaty and are woven together just beautifully. Small town versus small town. Family member against family member. Best friend versus best friend. Young teenager against the world. Wise men. Wise women. The corporates versus the non-corporates. Conflict, hate, violence, despair, redemption, love, forgiveness. Soul searching—an abundance of soul searching.

Outstanding bits of wisdom are found in every chapter: “Anyone who feels responsibility isn’t free. Because responsibility is a burden. Freedom is a pleasure.�� “Cynicism is simply a chemical reaction to too much disappointment.��

Backman also writes the best tie-ups of any author I’ve read. Virtually every character of any note gets some final words, very satisfying words, in the last few chapters, though there are some things left for us to ponder ourselves. And some things that will likely be addressed in book 3. Another unique feature of Backman’s writing is the way he places breaks in a chapter in to order to make sure a point is emphasized. Many times I paused in my reading to fully appreciate what he was telling the reader. Good stuff. Great stuff. And without exaggeration, there are no wasted words in the entire book.

I must also give props to Mr. Backman for being the best author in terms of giving the reader enough background from the previous book in the series to get you up to speed for the sequel without boring you and without making you dig through the earlier book. Having said that, starting with Us Against You without reading Beartown is strictly prohibited. You will lose much of the joy and meaning of reading the former without reading Beartown first. And Beartown is better than any book I’ve read this year (including the great Crawdads) other than Us Against You.

Like so many of you reading this, I believe Backman is now my favorite author. Sorry Tana. Sorry Angela. Sorry WKK. Sorry Ms. Bolton. The thing I love the best about him is that he gives me ALL THE FEELINGS. Gosh, I mourn these books when I’ve finished them but am so grateful there will be more to come. I’ve only been moved enough twice in the past to actually buy a book I read for free from the library or Net Galley--Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center and The Likeness by Tana French. Now there will be 4, including Beartown and Us Against You.

Recommended for all readers.