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52 pages 1 hour read

Fredrik Backman

Us Against You

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2017

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Character Analysis

Peter Andersson

Peter is the original small-town boy turned hometown hero. When he returns to Beartown with his family to take over as General Manager of the Ice Hockey Club after a brief career in the NHL, he swiftly loses his golden reputation. Sometimes, people become unified when they have a common enemy, and many people try to make Peter their common enemy. He is used by local politicians, local gangsters, and his well-respected townspeople. Peter must undergo his own personal search for happiness and must learn when it is time to let go of a dream that won’t provide security and happiness. Peter must choose family over career, and must forgive himself for not doing more. 

Benji Ovich

Benji is an unlikely hero but proves himself to be more than anyone ever bargained for. The perception of Benji around town is that he is brutish, loyal, and not to be messed with. However, Benji is also vulnerable, kind, and oppressed by people’s assumptions that he is a dangerous person. Benji must find happiness within himself because he discovers how disappointing it can be when he attempts to glean his happiness from others. Only Zackell sees Benji’s potential as a leader; when given the opportunity, Benji rises to the occasion. He is also unsure of how much he loves or needs hockey. He is plagued by the fear that he may be like his father, who committed suicide. Benji is a complex young man, whose secrets keep him safe but lonely.  

Teemu Rinnius

Teemu is the complicated anti-hero of the novel. His reputation for instilling fear in others precedes him, but Teemu is also more complex than his reputation allows. Teemu creates a gang that holds power in the town because he values family, comradery, and loyalty. Teemu helps more people than he hurts them, and he wields his power to protect others. Teemu’s proclivity for violence is balanced by his genuine concern for his family and his friends, and Teemu is generous in his perception of who gets to be counted as friend and family. 

Ramona

The long-time owner of Bearskin pub, Ramona has seen and heard it all. She is a wise voice of reason who knows every town person’s nuances and can articulate and see through the identity of Beartown more than anyone else. Without Ramona, characters such as Peter, Teemu, and Benji wouldn’t be held accountable and supported.

Richard Theo

Richard Theo’s sly political maneuverings cause and quell conflict. He is highly skilled at reading people for their strengths and weaknesses and can manipulate a situation without bearing the burden of the consequences. Richard Theo is the antithesis of Beartown: He is not interested in hockey, doesn’t make friends, and plays the role of manipulative local politician. However, Richard Theo has his own goals, family, and vulnerabilities, further proving Backman’s point about people: Everyone is different, but everyone is also the same.

Elisabeth Zackell

Zackell is the antithesis of the other characters. She is independent, unencumbered by what people think about her, and highly focused. As a woman hockey coach, Zackell is underestimated but respected. She is the perfect antidote to a team of men mired in toxic masculinity, but she also doesn’t actively seek to change anybody. She reminds everyone that hockey is about hockey but lends life advice when asked. 

Amat

Amat witnessed the rape of Maya and stands up against William publicly. Amat cares about doing the right thing. He strives to be a good role model for the children in his poor neighborhood but holds no resentment for his station in life. He is a talented hockey player but makes sure to make room in his life for other people who aren’t in the hockey world, such as his friend Zacharias. He is not concerned with proving his manhood through violence. 

Bobo

Bobo is a high school hockey player who likes to make people laugh. While he’s not very good at hockey, he is respected for his positive spirit. He wants to be accepted by the team and make his father proud. Family is an important driving factor for Bobo; when his mother dies, he seamlessly takes over her responsibilities. Bobo defends his friends, even when it costs him his other relationships or status. 

Vidar Rinnius

Vidar plays a symbolic role in the novel. His name is used in examples of foreshadowing because of his association with fear, impulsive violence, and the Pack. Vidar has been out of the town drama because he’s been in a clinic, but when he is released early to join the hockey team, the reader quickly discovers that Vidar is as sweet as he is scary. His immediate bond with Ana models how much joy a person can get if they open themselves to others. His death makes him a symbol of sacrifice, change, and devotion.

Maya Andersson

Maya is Peter’s daughter and at the center of a Beartown scandal. Her rape divided her town and her family, which extends and deepens her trauma. She is isolated in her physical fear but relies on her music and her friend Ana to cope. Maya’s character arc is important because by the end of the novel, she finds her own inner peace and strength that she uses to reach out to her fractured family.  

William Lyt

William Lyt’s character is the prototype of an angry teenager. He works hard to impress everyone and is personally hurt when people don’t care about him as much as he wants them to. He doesn’t have a lot of outlets for his anger and doesn’t know how to express himself. He feels betrayed by his former Beartown hockey team, his former friend Kevin, and even his coach David. William is the instigator of violence against Leo Andersson, but when he finally fights with Benji at the end of the novel, he reaches the height of his deeply rooted anger. William’s character shows how exhausting carrying anger can be, as well as how disastrous it is for the self and others. 

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