Book Description:
Can a broken town survive a second tragedy?
By the time the last goal is scored, someone in Beartown will be dead . . .
Us Against You is the story of two towns, two teams and what it means to believe in something bigger than yourself. It’s about how people come together – sometimes in anger, often in sorrow, but also through love.
And how, when we stand together, we can bring a town back to life.
My Thoughts:
This is the second book that is set in Beartown of which this book pretty much follows on from the previous book which was also entitled Beartown. It also has a similar layout where the reader learns early on that something bad is going to happen and then we are taken on a journey that leads up to it so you don’t ever really know what will exactly happen or who to.
There are so many characters in this story that I wanted to give a great big hug to. Nothing is easy or straight forward for the residents of this small town. It goes to show how big a part of peoples lives that sport can consume and not always for the better. I do like though when needs be, different sides can come together.
In some ways it was good to catch back up with certain characters. I especially wanted to see more of Maya and Benji and it was sad to see that both are fighting their own battles and having to be way stronger than they should need to be for their ages. There are so many relationships that are tested to breaking point in this story. It’s a reminder of how backwords the world can be at times, more so in such a small town where if anyone dares to be a bit different, it is far from being embraced.
Us Against You was yet another compelling and sombre read that puts your heart and emotions through the wringer. As with the last book, it left me feeling somewhat bereft as the storyline has a deep meaning behind it that sends your mind into overdrive. There is a certain darkness surrounding these books that leaves you with a feeling that is hard to describe. I don’t think I have ever read a fictional story that hits me as hard as this series of books do. The author tells his story in quite a simplistic way yet manages to evoke such strong feelings. Readers really need to read these books for themselves to understand how powerful this author’s writing is.
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