In the days and weeks that follow, devastating secrets are publicly leaked that result in ruined reputations and the destruction of lifelong friendships. As is always the case when we allow politicians to pit us against one another, with fake promises and political innuendo, innocent people get hurt. As news of the investment emerges, with its subsequent impact on the region’s balance of jobs, the angst between the two communities reaches fever pitch. Making competing promises, and stirring up political strife, he secretly secures foreign investment in the town’s local factory and a promise of sponsorship for the team in exchange for certain political favors. Except nothing is forever.Ī rogue politician, sensing his moment, begins working behind the scenes to obtain a sponsorship for the team. His dream of a Beartown comeback seems lost forever. The town council, no longer having the will to continue its sponsorship of the Bears, informs Peter his team is facing bankruptcy. It seems Peter can never deliver more than an “almost” for the town he loves.ĭuring the ensuing weeks, as details of the scandal surface, the team’s best players and most influential sponsors abandon the Bears in favor of joining their rivals. A later scandal involving his top player rocks the town and, once again, the team’s shot at a comeback on the national level dissolves moments before the ultimate game. No one remembers the team that came in second.Īfter a stint in the NHL, cut short by injury, Peter returns to his hometown and accepts the General Manager position for the Bears team. The town’s dreams vanish before their eyes. Instead, the puck ricochets off the edge of the goal and back out onto the ice. In the last few seconds of play, with the eyes of the nation watching, Peter strikes the puck toward the goal in an attempt to send the game into overtime. In fact, thanks to him, Beartown almost made first place in the national championship.
Twenty years ago Peter Andersson, a native of Beartown, was a star player for the Bears. It would be as simple as “us against you” if it were not so complicated. At its core, we find a story illustrating our own human nature: our desire to protect those whom we love and to defend that in which we believe.
The narrative could have been told in any setting with any sport or political idea in the spotlight. It is the tale of neighboring communities caught up in the fervent heat of both athletic and political rivalries. Set in the subarctic forests of northern Sweden where hockey is king, the ice rink takes center stage. “Us Against You”, the sequel to Fredrik Backman’s incredible novel “Beartown”, is a story which has everything, yet nothing, to do with the sport of ice hockey.
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