Fredrik Backman blinkt uit in het vangen van de complexiteit van menselijke relaties en de zoektocht naar betekenis in het dagelijks leven. Zijn werken worden gekenmerkt door een unieke mix van humor, melancholie en een diep begrip van de menselijke natuur. Via zijn personages verkent hij thema's als eenzaamheid, gemeenschap en de onverwachte vriendelijkheid die zelfs de meest vervreemde zielen kan verbinden. Zijn stijl is toegankelijk maar toch diepgaand, en biedt lezers een boeiende en ontroerende ervaring.
Björnstad is een Zweeds stadje dat zijn beste tijd heeft gehad. Zoals men daar zegt: je kunt er niet leven, je kunt er hoogstens overleven. Maar aan het meer staat een heel oude ijsbaan, en die is de reden waarom mensen in Björnstad nog geloven in betere tijden: het juniorenteam van de plaatselijke ijshockeyclub kan dit jaar landskampioen worden. De hoop op een betere toekomst voor de stad legt veel druk op de jonge spelers. De halve finale is uiteindelijk de katalysator voor een gruwelijke daad die de hele stad in beroering brengt. Beschuldigingen vliegen over en weer en geen van de bewoners ontkomt aan de commotie. Björnstad gaat over de hoop die mensen in een gemeenschap kan samenbrengen, geheimen die alles kapot kunnen maken en de moed die iemand nodig heeft om tegen de stroom in te gaan. In dit verhaal van een kleine stad beschrijft Fredrik Backman de hele wereld.
"After everything that the citizens of Beartown have gone through, they are struck yet another blow when they learn their beloved local hockey team will soon be disbanded. Even more galling is the obvious pleasure that all the former Beartown players, who now play for the club in nearby Hed, feel about this news. As tensions between the two rivals rise, it falls to Peter, Beartown Hockey's general manager, to find a way to rescue the Bears. But even as Peter fights to delay the end of the club, someone else is already planning its rebirth. Elisabeth Zackell is a no-nonsense former pro-athlete, handpicked to be Beartown's new hockey coach. Shrugging off the ugly rumors about her, Zackell begins to build a new team around Amat, the fastest player you'll ever see; Benji, the crazed lone wolf; and Vidar, a born-to-be-bad troublemaker. Bringing the team together is a challenge, one that becomes even more difficult when Benji is outed, leaving his friends and teammates feeling betrayed by his having kept his sexuality a secret for years. Old bonds are broken, new ones are formed, and the rivalry with Hed grows ever more intense. As the big match approaches and winter darkness settles across both towns, the not-so-innocent pranks and incidents between the communities grow more dangerous, and hatred grows deeper. When the last game is finally played, one of Beartown's key players will be dead, and residents of both towns will be forced to wonder whether, after all they've been through, the game they love can ever return to something simple: a hockey stick each, two goals, two teams; us against you, in its purest, most innocent form. Us Against You is a declaration of love for all the big and small, bright and dark stories that form and color our communities. Compelling and heart-breaking, it's a rollercoaster of emotions, and it is Fredrik Backman at his very best."-- Provided by publisher
This is a small story about big questions. It's a story about family,
community, life. It starts with a storm - and a death. But how does it end?
Two years have passed since the events that no one wants to think about.
Everyone has tried to move on, but there’s something about this place that
prevents it. The residents continue to grapple with life’s big questions: What
is a family? What is a community? And what, if anything, are we willing to
sacrifice in order to protect them? As the locals of Beartown struggle to
overcome the past, great change is on the horizon. Someone is coming home
after a long time away. Someone will be laid to rest. Someone will fall in
love, someone will try to fix their marriage, and someone will do anything to
save their children. Someone will submit to hate, someone will fight, and
someone will grab a gun and walk towards the ice rink. So what are the
residents of Beartown willing to sacrifice for their home? Everything.
A little book with a big heart! I read this beautifully imagined and moving
novella in one sitting, utterly wowed, wanting to share it with everyone I
know. --Lisa Genova, bestselling author of Still Alice From the New York Times
bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You
She's Sorry, and Britt-Marie Was Here comes an exquisitely moving portrait of
an elderly man's struggle to hold on to his most precious memories, and his
family's efforts to care for him even as they must find a way to let go. With
all the same charm of his bestselling full-length novels, here Fredrik Backman
once again reveals his unrivaled understanding of human nature and deep
compassion for people in difficult circumstances. This is a tiny gem with a
message you'll treasure for a lifetime.
A little book with a big heart—from the New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and Anxious People. “I read this beautifully imagined and moving novella in one sitting, utterly wowed, wanting to share it with everyone I know.” —Lisa Genova, bestselling author of Still Alice From the New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, and Anxious People comes an exquisitely moving portrait of an elderly man’s struggle to hold on to his most precious memories, and his family’s efforts to care for him even as they must find a way to let go. With all the same charm of his bestselling full-length novels, here Fredrik Backman once again reveals his unrivaled understanding of human nature and deep compassion for people in difficult circumstances. This is a tiny gem with a message you’ll treasure for a lifetime.
Taken hostage by a failed bank robber while attending an open house, eight anxiety-prone strangers--including a redemption-seeking bank director, two couples who would fix their marriages, and a plucky octogenarian--discover their unexpected common traits.
The international phenomenon: quirky and bittersweet, heartbreaking yet
outrageously funny. Perfect for fans of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
and The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of a Window and Disappeared.
Britt-Marie is a socially awkward, fussy busybody who is used to being organized. When she walks out on her cheating husband and gets a job as caretaker of the dilapidated recreation center in Borg, she is woefully unprepared for the changes. But as she takes on the task of leading the supremely untalented children's soccer team to victory, she just might find a place she belongs
