Book Review - Fredrik Backman's Us Against You

Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with a copy of Fredrik Backman's latest novel, Us Against You, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- Fredrik Backman returns to his hockey obsessed Swedish town in Us Against You, the sequel to his 2017 novel, Beartown. Beartown is still experiencing the fallout of a scandal that pitted neighbor against neighbor: the rape of Maya, the daughter of the general manager of the Beartown Hockey Club, who accused the star player, Kevin, of attacking her. The town had divided loyalties, which only aided their biggest rival, the town of Hed, when some of the Beartown players defected to the enemy. 

Months have passed and it is summer. Kevin's family decided that it was best to leave town and although Maya will not longer have to see her rapist, she still feels hatred from those who supported him. Her father, Peter, is on the brink of having his hockey club shut down and is struggling to find a way to keep it going. He is approached by a business man with a proposition, yet the solution may come at the expense of the town residents.

LIKE- I love Fredrik Backman's novels. He creates characters that have a way of invading your soul; characters that are not only memorable, but ones who become part of your world. I was very eager to go back to Beartown. I have to qualify this though, Beartown is not a happy place. It's an economically depressed town in rural Sweden. Terrible and cruel things happen in Beartown. It is not a place that you'd want to visit on a vacation to Sweden! The characters are all rough around the edges and have a heavy distrust towards outsiders. They would not welcome you to Beartown. That said, they are also people who love fiercely and are protective towards their own. Beartown has a strong sense of community that is enviable. These are people who not only know their place in the world, but actively own it and are proud of it. 

Us Against You is even better than Beartown. I think it has to do with the story. Beartown is more straight-forward, where as Us Against You is all about the fall-out from the rape and people having to face how they initially reacted. It's complicated. People do not like to be confronted with their mistakes. Change is hard, change is complicated. Us Against You has a large cast of characters and each is written with complexity.

I feel that Backman's story is timely with regards to the current policy climate, both in America and around the world. It's not a political story per-se , but it is a story about human emotions and about working with different view points or more than that, the idea that people value things at different levels. It seems simple that people would agree that Kevin should be punished for raping Maya, but it's not simple. Beyond the idea that some people think Maya has lied, some characters feel that things like having a winning hockey team are more important than Maya's pain. It's not really the hockey though. For example, some of the parents of other kids on the team, kids that may not be as talented as Kevin, but who have worked hard for many years, will lose their opportunity to be on a winning team if Kevin isn't allowed to play. They don't see it as simple as a Kevin/Maya issue, now that their child is affected. Right or wrong, their value is on their own child, over Maya or Kevin. As in real life, Backman's characters are complicated because they value different things at different levels, which can lead to not only misunderstandings, but an "Us Against You" attitude. Communication is impossible when people build up their walls. 

I've been to a hockey game, but I can't claim to know much about the sport. Us Against You is a story about the people of the town, but it also has a lot about the game of hockey. It's a testament to Backman's writing skills that he can keep a non-hockey fan engaged in the parts of the story that involved the hockey games and practice. I felt energy in his writing that made me excited about the sport. 

DISLIKE- My only negative is occasional bouts of sluggish pacing. 

RECOMMEND- Yes! If you've not already read Beartown, read it first. Us Against You is a must read for Beartown and Backman fans!

Book Review- Melissa Broder's The Pisces

Thank you to Crown Publishing for providing me with a copy of Melissa Broder's novel, The Pisces, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- Thirty-eight year old Lucy, has spent over a decade living in Arizona and working on her thesis involving the poetry of Sappho. Lucy is struggling with her thesis and when her boyfriend dumps her for a younger a woman, Lucy hits rock bottom. 

Lucy needs a break from her desert life. Her sister, Annika, is spending the summer traveling and needs someone to dogsit, so Lucy moves into Annika's California beach house for three months. While in California, she tries to get her life back on track by attending group therapy for sex addiciton. Nothing seems to be making her life better, until one evening while sitting on the rocks at the beach, she meets Theo, a handsome and mysterious man, who likes to swim by moonlight.

LIKE/DISLIKE- I usually separate what I liked and dislike about a book, but in the case of The Pisces, I feel the two are so intwined that I need to speak of them together.

I likely would not have read The Pisces, if I had realized that it was erotica. The description of the novel said that it was erotic, but did not list it as "Erotica," which is a big distinction. I'm not a prude, but I also don't read erotica. It's not a genre that I'm familiar with, so perhaps someone who is familiar with the genre would have a very different reaction to The Pisces. 

I found much of the erotica elements to be icky. There are plenty of vivid descriptions about fecal matter and period blood that are just gross. Broder writes incredible sensory descriptions, but they were often of things that I did not care to imagine. I thought erotica would be sexy and a turn-on, but there was nothing sexy about The Pisces. I felt that a lot of it was for shock value.

The Pisces is narrated by Lucy and she is a self-centered, bitchy character. She makes snide judgements about nearly ever other character in the story. She's terrible to her sister, who loves her. The worst part is she neglects the elderly dog that is in her care. I'm not sure if I've ever read a story with blatant animal abuse. As an animal lover, this was hard to stomach. Although, I think all of this is Broder's way of showing us that Lucy is a deeply disturbed person and as a reader, we really not supposed to like or connect with her. There is a subtle shift in her character in the last few chapters, but most of the novel she is not someone who is learning from her mistakes or even wishing to make changes.

I liked the colorful characters that Lucy meets in her group therapy, as they add another dynamic to the story. But the whole time the therapist and things there are being told to do in sex therapy, disturbed me. The advice was terrible, further damaging already damaged women. I kept looking for the plot or character that would redeem the story and shed some positive light, but this was hard to find. Annika seems to be the only normal, good-hearted character and her part is minor. The Pisces is a story about deeply damaged people. 

This is also a fantasy novel with mythological creatures that requires a heavy suspension of disbelief. Logistically, there were elements that didn't add up. The scenes with Theo hanging out with Lucy in Annika's house were bizarre. I was paranoid about the white couch.  I wondered why Lucy didn't question him more, she was too accepting. 

I liked the ending. It's creepy and unsettling. I didn't anticipate the twist. 

RECOMMEND- Probably not, although I think if you love to read the genre of erotica, maybe give The Pisces a try. This book wasn't for me. 

Book Review- Curtis Sittenfeld's You Think It, I'll Say It

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of Curtis Sittenfeld's short story collection, You Think It, I'll Say It, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- You Think It, I'll Say It is a collection of short stories from acclaimed novelist, Curtis Sittenfeld.

LIKE- Sittenfeld is one of my favorite modern writers and I was absolutely thrilled to have an opportunity to review her latest book, a collection of short stories.

Sittenfeld doesn't shy away from the uncomfortable and many of her characters toy with emotional bombshells. They exist on the edge, often crossing the line by acting on their impulses.

In the story which provides the inspiration for title of the collection, The World Has Many Butterflies, friends begin to have an emotional affair by playing a strange game: "You Think it, I'll Say It." They secretly play this game when they come in contact at parties and their kid's sporting events. Graham initiates the play by mentioning the title and then Julie begins to tear down the other people in the room, as if she and Graham are conspirators thinking the same thoughts. At first, Julie feels a sense of freedom in speaking as she wishes and saying what's on her mind, but the game becomes increasingly intimate, as she speaks in a way that she wouldn't dare reveal to her spouse.

Plausible Deniability plays on a similar theme, with Libby having an emotional affair with her brother-in-law. She feels in her gut that it is crossing the line, but for over a year she continues to send him text messages. At a certain point, they agree to only send one message a day and the message can only be about classical music. Libby sends these incredibly intimate texts about the music she loves. When she becomes pregnant and confronts her brother-in-law regarding this emotional affair and intimacy that they are having, he tries to make it seem like it isn't a big deal. Libby admits that it is a big deal to her, she thinks about him romantically and even though he is devastated that she wants to cut it off, he won't admit that they have crossed the line. He is the narrator of the story, so we know that he loves her more than he should and even more devastating, he realizes that his brother doesn't really love her. 

Old memories from high school and college also haunt Sittenfeld's characters. A Regular Couple, involves two couples on their honeymoon who meet at a resort in the desert. The wives were high school classmates over two decades ago. The narrator, Maggie, is both intimidated and fascinated with Ashley, who was a very popular girl in their high school. Now, Maggie is a successful lawyer and immediately, Ashley mentions having seen Maggie in the news. Maggie and her husband are staying in the most expensive rooms, while Ashley and her much older husband, are staying in cheaper accommodations. Maggie knows she has reaches success in her career and she even has a "trophy husband"- She admits that her husband, Jason, is far more attractive than she is and she constantly worries that Jason, who does not have as successful of a career, is using her for her money. Maggie is insecure and spending time with Ashley turns her into a mess. Although Ashley seems to have nothing but goodwill towards Maggie, Maggie can't help but try to seek retribution for the way that she was treated in high school.

Do-Over is a perfect story for our political climate. A few decades after they graduated from boarding school, Sylvia looks up her old classmate, Clay and they have dinner. Sylvia and Clay ran against each other in a school campaign and there was a tie vote. The school administrators gave the role to Clay, offering Sylvia a lesser leadership role. Years later, Sylvia, who also happened to have a crush on Clay back in high school, decides to confront him or rather, ambush him. Sylvia, feeling she has nothing to lose, lets Clay know exactly how she feels during a very tense and awkward dinner date. 

You Think It, I'll Say It is a solid collection and every single story was excellent. No clunkers. I adore Sittenfeld. Her characters engage in cringe-worthy behavior, but their mindset and impulses are always relatable. She understands how people tick and I love to see how her stories play out. She always keeps me guessing and turning the page. Her wicked sense of humor also shines through.

DISLIKE- Not a single thing.

RECOMMEND- YES, YES, YES!!! I recommend You Think It, I'll Say It and everything else that Sittenfeld has written. I can't wait to read what she writes next. Sittenfeld is such a talent!