3.75 stars
For those of you reading this because you loved Man Called Ove -- know that this is absolutely worth reading, but a totally different book and style.

The author tells a story compounded of several different threads, but manages to expertly braid them all together by the end. He has a good sized cast of disparate personalities, but each character feels real and developed. There are asides along the way pondering families, parenthood, marriage and just life in general. They might be casually written, but some of the insights are searing.

The general plot is that a thwarted bank robber almost accidentally takes eight people hostage in an apartment while trying to escape. Under this pressure, we glimpse their relationships, their character weaknesses and their empathy (or lack of).

Interspersed with the narrative chapters are the verbatim police interviews afterward with the hostages. Some of the interviews are hilarious almost to the point of being farcical. The back stories are interesting and even the prickliest characters have a bit of redeeming value.

Entertaining, sometimes serious, often funny. A great read ... thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.

Fredrick Backman is a genius at plotting a story. As I was reading I was wondering how in the world these many story lines would tie-up, but I should not have doubted. Backman is also a genius at showing not telling. I feel like I know each and every one of these characters as though I've known them my entire life. A brilliant work.

As a fan of Fredrik Beckham's other books I really enjoyed this one, too. It was an enjoyable read, but not on par with Beartown or Us Against You, two excellent books. It starts somewhat slow but everything comes together nicely in the second half. By the end I was really rooting for the characters. Thank you to the publisher and Net Valley for an advanced copy of the book for my honest opinion.

You’d be hard pressed to find someone looking forward to reading Anxious People more than me. I’ve had a copy for a really long time, but kept forcing myself to wait. So, in the end, was the wait worth it? Well, yes and no.

I’ll always be a fan of the way Fredrik Backman dives into the life of his characters and sets them up in unexpected ways. His originality in doing so ranges from the quirky in A Man Called Ove, to the serious in Beartown and Us Against You, to the slightly annoying in Anxious People. Yes, I said slightly annoying because more than I’d like, I found these characters to be just that.

This is the story of a bank robbery that morphs into an unplanned hostage situation. It’s the story of the small town cops trying to figure out what happened to said robber, and all the “victims” who seem to be hiding something. It played a bit like a sort of “Who’s on First” comedy.

A man dressed in a rabbit costume emerged. Well, if we’re being completely truthful, not a complete costume. It was really just a rabbit’s head, because apart from that the man was wearing nothing but underpants and socks.”

But, this story was also infused with the more serious and those were the parts I tended to enjoy more. At other times I grew weary of the many shifts and misconceptions, but in the end I appreciated how the entire story came together. Additionally, I applaud Backman on his creativity and originality, once again. He’ll always be an auto-buy author for me!

Note: I received a copy of this book from Atria Books in exchange for my honest review.

I feel strange trying to review this book. It’s made of incredibly heavy topics, but is also about people being people, and nothing, and everything. There were so many lines that struck me, either with poignancy or hilarity or both. I absolutely love Backman’s style, but I know he’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Please be sure to read the content warnings on this one as suicide is a central theme.


CW: suicide as a central theme, hostage situation, anxiety, depression, death of a spouse, pregnancy,general trauma, OCD- like behaviors, drug addiction, christmas/ New Years

What an incredibly lovely book. I finished it last night and I am still feeling all the feels.

I had never read Mr. Backman before. I had heard a lot about A Man Called Ove but have never gotten around to reading it. I started hearing trickles about this one and everything I heard was right. This has such charm and grace. It is the story about a bank robbery that goes wrong and a hostage situation, not in the bank but in an apartment showing. It is about how everyone can be connected by the slimmest tendril and not even know it. It is about reaching out to people and letting them know they matter. It is about how we really don't know everyone's stories. There are a few characters that you will be upset with but when you start to read on, everything makes sense. It is about how even in our darkest hours and we think things are hopeless, we should plant an apple tree. Anxious People is the perfect book to read in these crazy times. Simple, lovely, joyous, uniting.

Have tissues because there were so many times that a turn of phrase or a moment in time will make you cry. I was a blubbering mess at the end but it was a joyful mess. This book is pure joy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria for a copy of this wonderful book.

I don’t know how it is that Fredrik Backman can write such wildly divergent stories with unique characters that nevertheless have all managed to make me both laugh and cry. Backman’s debut novel, A Man Called Ove was a favourite book in 2014, and My Grandmother Asked me to Tell You She’s Sorry in 2015. Anxious People may well be a favourite of 2020.

“This is a story about a bank robbery, an apartment viewing, and a hostage drama. But even more it’s a story about idiots. But perhaps not only that.”

Definitely not ‘only that’. Backman later adds this is also a story about bridges, rabbits, and love, about all of us doing the best we can, but really, truly, Anxious People is a story about humanity.

Life is messy, sometimes we make mistakes. In Anxious People, the bank robber’s first mistake is trying to rob a bank, and the second is (unintentionally) taking a bunch of people in an apartment hostage, though perhaps, as things go, that was not a mistake as such.

“The bank robber looked at each of them in turn for a long time. Then... whispered gratefully: “Worst hostages ever.”

The hostages are a motley, quirky collection of characters that initially perhaps present as irritating idiots but whom, by the time they are released, are endearing idiots, much as our first impression of the bank robber is of a dangerous idiot, but in the end is simply an overwhelmed idiot.

“They may not have had much in common, but they all knew what it was like to make a mistake.”

Anxious People is both wise and insightful, absurd and poignant. It explores a variety of themes including desperation, grief, compassion, relationships, capitalism, regret, connection and hope. It raises issues like divorce, parenting, religion, and suicide.

“We do our best. We save those we can.”

Anxious People is a comedy, a tragedy, a mystery and a wonderfully told story.

“The truth? The truth about all this? The truth is that this was a story about many different things...”

Again! Fredrick Backmanc continues to floor me with his ability to write about the humanity that unites us. He takes his most uncomfortable character and shines a light on the best that is in them. He takes disparate personalities and unites them. Yes, this is a ‘feel-good’ novel, but it is so smart and insightful, and it reaches into the challenges that are facing all of us in a challenging time and treats them with respect. Bravo. Another beautiful story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I've read and enjoyed several of Backman's earlier novels, so I was excited to dive into his latest release. The description - about a failed bank robbery turned hostage situation at an open house certainly sounded promising! But, I have to admit that this one actually took me a while to really get into. The large cast size and the writing style made it hard to be immediately connected to the characters and absorbed into the plot. I think that the rather omniscient point of view would be better appreciated (by me at least) in an audio format. The beginning especially feels a bit repetitive and that really slows the pacing.

But, the latter half of the book, as I got to better know the characters - the father/son police team, the would-be bank robber, the couples at the apartment viewing as well as the solitary attendees - the more that I started to genuinely enjoy this one. It just took me a lot longer than I expected. But once I was halfway through, I was fully invested and didn't want to be separated from its pages! It's a book with some funny moments, but also tear-jerking moments of tenderness, sweetness and loss. The very end goes on a bit longer than I expected, but as I didn't want to say goodbye to any of them by that point, I can't complain! I can't wait to see what Backman writes next!

So it remains....Fredrik Backman does not disappoint. Anxious People is a story about people, their emotions, and their communication skills. Backman creates characters with deep convictions and forces these characters to analyze themselves and each other. I honestly cannot think of a single emotion that he did not bestow upon his intricate and highly conflicted characters. His portrayal showed in character likenesses and differences. They act with compassion, listening and discussing, about each others lives and circumstances. I was amazing how Backman was able to take such a broad range of people, and make them act as one, unified. Anxious People is full of humanity, resilience, understanding, and forgiveness.

There is an underlying plot. A mystery of sorts. Interestingly enough, the plot takes second seating to the characters and their development. It was truly the characterization in this novel that made it a 5 star read for me. It was interesting to go away with the thought that all people are different, yet we have so very much in common. Everyone faces challenges and difficulties, it's just a matter of how each individual processes and reacts to their situations.. It shows that people of all walks of life can overcome adversity, support one and other, strengthen each other, and truly work as one.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free opportunity to read/review Anxious People by Fredrik Backman.

#netgalley #anxiouspeople #fredrikbackman

Anxious People was not my cup of tea. I've really enjoyed other Backman books I've read, but this one was a confusing mess in my opinion. I found it difficult to follow and I really did not feel connected to any of the characters. I realize this is an unpopular opinion, but I would advise others to read different Backman books before giving this one a read, as I find his other works to be much more cohesive and enjoyable. I hope others have a different experience with this novel than I did.

*4.5 Stars*

What I liked...
» Anxious People is classic Backman, so if you’ve loved his other novels, there is a good chance you will enjoy this one too. Backman has such a unconventional writing style that I just can’t help getting sucked into. You won’t be getting an action-packed read in Anxious People, but you will get heartwarming & charming.

» In Anxious People, we have a group of people who, after a series of events, end up in a accidental hostage situation. No one writes endearing characters like Backman. His characters are so quirky and eccentric, you can’t help but fall in love with and root for them. In Anxious People, we get to know each of these characters slowly over the course of the book, and how they all came to be in their current situation.

» The way everything wrapped up at the end was perfection. I closed this book with a big smile on my face.

What I didn't like...
» I felt like the “big reveal” was a bit underwhelming, however this didn’t really impact my overall enjoyment of the book.

› Recommended to ⇒ Backman fans; fans of quirky characters

› Trigger/content warnings ⇒ Suicide; death of a parent (cancer); drug addiction (minimal); alcoholism (minimal)

› If you liked this book, try ⇒ A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

*Big thanks to Atria Books for providing me a review copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

The best book I've read all year. I've heard friends rave about Fredrick Backman but never read anything by him until now. A botched bank robbery, a hostage situation, that sounds like my type of read! But oh! The characters. I wasn't expecting the twists and connections the story had, it left me breathless and wanting more. Anxious People is a beautiful story about idiots, about the choices we make, and the people we meet along the way. I cannot recommend this book enough. Go read it now!

I always enjoy Fedrick Backman novels, but Anxious People was not one of my favorites.
But still it was an enjoyable read with quirky characters and a sweet ending.

First published in Sweden in 2019; published in translation by Atria Books on September 8, 2020

Anxious People is a novel about a bank robbery that triggers a hostage drama. But no, it’s really a novel about a desperate man who jumps from a bridge and a desperate girl who doesn’t. But no, it’s not really about any of that. Fredrik Backman tells us that Anxious People is about idiots because that’s what we all are: idiots who are doing the best we can. Anxious People is a sweet, unpredictable, laugh-out-loud story of diverse individuals who begin to overcome their anxieties by recognizing the need to let go of the past while embracing a more compassionate future.

Abandoned by a spouse who had an affair and desperate for money to avoid eviction and an ensuing loss of child custody, a parent makes the unfortunate decision to rob a bank. The robbery is futile because the robber unwittingly chooses a cashless bank. The fleeing robber dashes through the nearest door and up a light of stairs where a realtor is showing an apartment. By wielding a gun that the robber assumes to be a toy, a hostage situation begins. Or maybe not, because the robber doesn’t want to frighten anyone and taking hostages was never part of the plan.

The story is driven by the quirky personalities of each person attending the apartment showing. From time to time we also encounter Jim and Jack, police officers who are father and son. Backman mixes in transcripts of Jack’s interviews with the hostages after they are released. None of the hostages are particularly good at being interviewed, but they are quite good at infuriating Jack. The interviews digress into silliness that makes a strong contribution to the story’s merriment.

As the title suggests, the characters are anxious. A couple of them are anxious to buy the apartment, but all are anxious in the sense of experiencing anxiety. They seem to be concerned about how others perceive them, taking political correctness to extremes for fear of being seen as prejudiced when they discuss gay people — except for Julia and Ro, lesbians who are expecting a child. They argue constantly, perhaps because they enjoy making up.

Competing against Julia and Ro for the apartment are Roger and Ana-Lena, an older couple who may be together as a function of habit rather than connection. Roger is obsessively competitive (he makes money by flipping apartments) while Ana-Lena feels the need to explain what Roger means every time Roger speaks.

Lennart appears in the story after he is forced out of the apartment’s bathroom because Julia needs to use it. Lennart has no pants but is wearing a rabbit head. Despite his unconventional attire, Lennart is probably the story’s most idealistic character. Apartments typically come up for sale because of death or divorce, but Lennart believes there’s something romantic about all the apartments that aren’t for sale. It is possible to imagine that they are occupied by happy couples.

Zara and Estelle have each attended the showing for reasons unrelated to a desire to purchase the property. Estelle is an older woman learning to live without her husband, a man who was everything to her despite having little in common with her. Zara, a prosperous banker who annoys her therapist, is acerbic and judgmental, making it no surprise that she’s lonely. Zara is surprised to discover a connection between her therapist and one of the other characters.

Jim and Jack love each other, as father and son should, but don’t know how to express it, as fathers and sons almost never do. Jack is among the characters who have been touched by the man who jumped from the bridge ten years earlier. Jack became a cop with the noble purpose of saving people, but it is up to his father to teach Jack that making an arrest isn’t always the best way to save someone.

The hostage drama triggers empathy in each of the characters, all of whom have at some point been frightened and lost, all of whom felt anxiety before the robber appeared. We live in a world we share with strangers who harbor the same anxieties. We brush against each other and, as Backman illustrates, we have an impact on each other in ways we may never understand.

Each character in Anxious People makes a bit of progress toward anxiety relief, because one bit at a time is all that anyone can manage. We start by admitting that there’s “an ache in our soul, invisible lead weights in our blood, an indescribable pressure in our chest,” and by recognizing that other people feel the same way. We try to internalize the belief that things we blame ourselves for are not always our fault. We make an effort to understand other people and to care about them, even if they are not like us, because caring about others is essential to caring about ourselves.

Letting go of negativity and all the unimportant things that anchor us might create anxiety in the form of uncertainty, but not knowing what happens next is a good starting point from which to build a better life. If we are nothing more than the sum of our experiences, Backman says, we could not live with ourselves. “We need to be allowed to convince ourselves that we’re more than the mistakes we made yesterday. That we are all of our next choices, too, all of our tomorrows.” Sometimes we need someone to give us a second chance. Sometimes we need to give ourselves one.

Backman keeps the reader guessing about the bank robber’s fate. Will the robber escape and, if so, how? Backman dangles possibilities to make the reader think “I know how the robber escapes” before foreclosing them. So there’s an element of mystery, but the plot exists largely to frame the characters and to showcase their anxieties and the lessons they learn. And to make the reader laugh, a goal Backman accomplishes on every page.

I suppose there’s a degree of sappiness in the self-help advice that Backman offers, but the story is told with so much heart and humor that even the most cynical reader should be able to embrace it. Whether or not a reader appreciates Backman’s lessons, it would be difficult to dislike the characters or to avoid laughing at them in recognition that they are, like us, idiots who are doing the best they can.

RECOMMENDED

What I always enjoy about Fredrik Backman’s novels is that they are so unique. Filled with quirky characters and thought-provoking life lessons presented in the most original and fresh ways, I always know I’m in for a treat when I pick up one of his books. Backman’s latest novel, Anxious People, is no exception

I knew Anxious People was going to be a quirky delightful read from the opening paragraphs. “This story is about a lot of things, but mostly about idiots.” I was chuckling to myself from the moment I read that line and couldn’t wait to see what kind of an adventure he was taking me on. And let me tell you, it’s a wild ride. On its surface, this is a story about a bank robbery that goes wrong which collides with an apartment viewing gone wrong, which ultimately becomes an almost absurdly comical hostage situation, which somehow ends with the bank robber/hostage taker disappearing right out from under the noses of the police officers assigned to the case. The bulk of the story focuses on the police attempting to get statements from the hostages, which is presented alongside the story of the bank robber, including what led them to decide to rob a bank all the way up to the moment the robber disappears.

One of Backman’s greatest gifts as a writer is his ability to create well-drawn, complex, multi-layered characters. Even though every witness the police interrogates starts out as just someone who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, by the end, each of them has a pretty fleshed-out story of their own within the overall story. We get a glimpse of the inner demons each of them is battling and it just makes them all feel so real. I also love the dynamic we are given with the two police officers assigned to the case. They are actually father and son, and there’s a lot going on there between the two of them.

Backman also has a gift for writing stories that engage all my emotions. With Anxious People, I laughed my way through the police interrogations, especially when it seemed that the witnesses either were, in fact, idiots, or they were being deliberately difficult and evasive. It truly must have been the most maddening investigation those poor police officers had ever experienced! But then as the story developed and I got to know the various characters better and learned about their lives and struggles, including the bank robber, I found myself growing more and more attached to each of them and invested in their stories, to the point that I was in tears by the time I reached the end, which actually surprised me with how incredibly moving it was.

If you’re already a fan of Backman’s, I think you’ll love Anxious People. And if you’ve never tried his books before but enjoy stories that are equally funny and moving, and are filled with quirky well-drawn characters, Anxious People should be on your reading list.

Let me get this out of the way to begin with: I totally loved this book! Yes, once again, Backman made me laugh and made me cry; what more can I ask for, right? In truth, I started giggling and guffawing within the first few pages, and then he goes and makes me say “aw… bless” and nod my head in understanding and sympathy for what these people represent, and how they live – both with themselves and with others. I only wonder if I should be calling this a masterpiece or not, because, well, Backman seems to be able to do this with all of his books. And frankly, except for one, teeny-tiny niggle, this book was practically perfect in every way.

Yes, I just said that – this book isn’t 100% perfect, in all honesty. And let’s face it, we book reviewers have to be honest, even when we’re reading a book by a beloved author. So, what was my problem here? It really isn’t a big deal but… I kind of felt that the ending was a bit more drawn out than it needed to be. There was a point very close to the end when I read one closing sentence to one chapter and was ready to say… WOW right then and there, but then it continued on a bit longer. Not that I didn’t “wow” several times while reading this book, but that real punchy, short sentence (sorry, no spoilers) that concluded that chapter would have been a truly perfect ending. The thing is, I still enjoyed everything that came afterwards. This means that I’m also thinking that if the editors had put that chapter at the very end, then this absolutely would have been a perfect book. But hey, we’re all human right, and obviously, other readers might disagree with me.

Now with all that out of the way, I’ll tell you what I really loved about this book (while trying not to be overly effusive, if I can). First and foremost, I love how Backman is such a keen observer of the human condition, and is able to present this to his readers with such wit and empathy. Here we have a cast of characters who, under normal circumstances, might never have found themselves together in the same space. Backman knows who these people are; he knows their pasts, and he knows their strengths and their weaknesses. Then he throws them all together into one unusual situation, and then begins to deconstruct each of them, and then begin the process of reconstructing them as they go through this hostage situation. I got the distinct feeling that before Backman started writing the story, he probably already had a slew of well-developed characters and he then went through them and decided which combination of them would best serve this story.

Obviously, taking a bunch of random characters and sticking them into a viewing of an apartment for sale, and then turning them all into hostages wasn’t enough for him. No, Backman had to also connect some of them to make it all the more interesting (and no, I’m not going to reveal how they connect, because… spoilers). To do this, Backman uses the two police officers called to the scene, as well as a few other minor characters who help with filling in the more important blanks for the more prominent characters’ backstories. Now, because the main action here is relatively sparse, Backman uses these many personalities and connection in order to give us a truly multi-faceted, character driven story. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a book where people will say “but… nothing happened” (which is one of the most annoying comments about a book, EVER), because lots happens. Its just that the action is very contained so that Backman can concentrate on drawing these flawed people who make us laugh and cry.

Look, I don’t know if there’s much point in my saying much more here. I’ve already said I loved this book, and I believe that this one might even be his best yet. I can’t see readers calling this slow, because it is spritely from the start. I also can’t see how readers will be unable to connect with at least one or two of the large cast of characters. Nor can I see readers getting confused by having so many people to keep track of; my regular readers know that this has been a problem for me in other novels, but that just wasn’t the case here at all. Each and every personality is unique, and their voices are all clearly their own – as if Backman just recorded what they said to him. If all of this doesn’t deserve a full five stars out of five, I just don’t know what does! (My little niggle noted above would only reduce my rating by maybe 1/8th of a star, at most.) Just read this book; you won’t regret it and it might even calm you down!

This book was RIDICULOUS! In a great way 😆 It was unlike any book I’ve ever read before. A thriller comedy? Never heard of one. I felt like I was reading a stand up comedy act (a really good one) during so many parts, especially the interviews. Backman used such a distinctive writing style that was different than his other books but IT WORKED!

The characters... oh the characters. Or should I say “hostages” and the worst hostages ever. And a bank robber who robs a cashless bank... there are “Stockholmers” which is apparently an adjective used in multiple ways. and then a guy locked in the bathroom with a rabbit head on?! Yea... this book goes there. But I’ll let you read it to truly appreciate the chaos!

Shoutout to @gisellereads for sharing a character cheat sheet that helped throughout reading this! Left it on the second picture for ya ☞︎

I respected and more importantly appreciated Backman added a page at the end of the book with a bold title “IF YOU NEED SOMEONE” with a list of resources and numbers to call if you or someone you know is in need of mental health treatment. September is #suicidepreventionmonth so please remember there is help. Bring awareness. From someone who struggles with anxiety - I am here for you.

National Suicide Prevention Line: 800-273-8255
Crisis text line: text “talk” to 741741
Websites: zerosuicide.com sprc.org

⚠️ TW: suicide, drug addiction, divorce, alcoholism


Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for this gifted ebook ARC in an exchange for an honest review. @backmansk you are fabulous

Fredrik Backman doesn't disappoint! The characters are wonderfully real, the social commentary poignant, the dialogue wise, and the story witty, smart, observant, tender, funny ... Thumbs up for ANXIOUS PEOPLE.

This book is positively amazing. It is funny, sad, happy, poignant, and thought-provoking, all at once. I laughed, and I cried, and I found myself wishing I had been held hostage in that apartment too. Backman is a master storyteller, and I simply can’t get enough.