This is a super fun, quirky evolution of a bank-robbery-turned-hostage-situation, and at times I laughed out loud, feeling as though I were in an episode of Three's Company.

Sometimes the dialogue crossed the line from slapstick into over-the-top, and there was a particular character arc that I felt needed a little more attention.

After I finish a book, I often find myself wondering what became of the characters; I especially appreciate how Backman left me feeling satisfied.

*My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another amazing story and rich characters from Fredrik Backman. A wonderful and quirky journey that is deep and meaningful. A must for any collection.

With a diverse cast with a spectrum from (Swedish) society, this book is true to Backman style, witty, pithy and amusingly sardonic yet sensitive and trenchant at the same time. Add love stories, familial complications and sort of a "locked door" mystery and you get a story that does not disappoint.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for providing this review copy.

What can I say? Fredrik Backman just knows people. This is the story of a bank robbery turned hostage drama except it’s not. This is a story of the human condition. Wonderfully written for fans of an unusual cast of characters coming together.

Meet your new favorite Backman! This book was unbelievably witty... Backman's narration was GOLDEN and his characters so broken and relatable, while also whimsical and light-hearted. I can't begin to do justice for this book! I absolutely adored it. The story of an unusual bank robbery gone awry, these strangers find themselves in a strange hostage situation. Each character is more unique than the next; extremely fallible, unreliable, and yet I loved them all. Backman did an incredible job weaving together these characters and their stories, and I just enjoyed this book so much.

Anxious People is the story of a bank robbery...and a hostage situation...and a divorce and a police officer and his dad and a suicide...caught your attention?

Fredrik Backman is one of my favorite authors, with the articulate and insightful way he addresses the way we all feel without knowing how to articulate it ourselves. In this novel, we have multiple characters and tragedies and human experiences that all manage to interweave in a way that keeps the reader wondering how these people are connected and who they are.

This isn't a feel good novel in the same obvious way as a Man Called Ove, but it is in that the reader sees human experiences that we can all identify with and empathize with and wonder how we'd handle this. Would we be the good guy? Would we be one who cared or would we be the one to let another human suffer beside us?

My one critique is that in the interest of keeping the reader guessing about the identity of the characters, it was hard to sometimes follow the plot and which character was which. At times, I felt like the narration dragged a bit slowly, but the overall effect was still one of suspense in a pleasant way.

Overall, Anxious People is a lovely way to see different walks of life and at the same time, investigate your own role among other people who are struggling.

Similar to Backman's My Grandmother Asked me to Tell You She's Sorry, Anxious People incorporates a large cast of characters who's lives intertwine and create a heartwarming tale of the power of human connections. Anxious People is the story of a bank robber, who never planned to be a bank robber, on the worst day of their life. They attempt to rob a cashless bank and on fleeing stumble into an apartment showing which creates the unlikeliest of hostage situations. Within the apartment are an older couple who have made a hobby of flipping apartments, a younger couple expecting their first child, a rich banker who is unable to let herself feel love, a real estate agent who may not be very good at her job, a rabbit, and an old lady who just wanted company for the new year.

As usual, Backman's storytelling is heartwarming and amusing with moments of tears and laughter. But what is stronger is the message that we all struggle and behind everyone's mask is a battle that we aren't aware that is being waged. It is easy to forget that each and every person has their own story when we become so consumed in our own but if we take a moment to be nice to each other there is no telling how it will change our lives. This is a powerful message and the reason that I absolutely adore this book.

Fredrik Backman writes the very best characters even if they are idiots (his words)!!! This is a story about a bank robbery without money being stolen and a hostage situation! This story is full of humor and at the same time lots of tears were shed while I read. I read this book in one day because I just couldn't put it down! If you loved A Man Called Ove, you will love Anxious People! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

I just finished this novel, and I am a puddle.

Admittedly, it took me longer than I'd have liked to engage with the narrative: at least 15%. The perspective and starting distance from the characters was tough for me, and I found it difficult to really connect with who was whom and the significance of the details.

Once the main drama ends, it's clear that this extremely broad perspective highlights the laser focused personal delving that happens by the end. This notion of generally encountering people in the world, paying them no mind, going about one's business, and then deeply connecting with others in overt, life-changing ways is the central theme of the novel. Backman's top skill here is forcing us to have the same experience, even as readers.

The resolution is lengthier than average, and it is fantastic. Though I did have that aforementioned trouble connecting in the beginning, I am already feeling like the stars on this review are going to keep creeping up and that I'll be thinking about parts of this novel for a very long time.

If, like me, you have a tough time hanging on toward the beginning, know that the pay off is worth it.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Anxious People is a story about idiots, and readers will learn that everyone is, in fact, an idiot in some way, at some time. So really it's a story about ordinary people who have more in common with each other than one would think at first glance. These ordinary people all somehow get caught up in a bank robbery gone awry and find themselves all hostages in an apartment that's for sale and having an open house. The story isn't about the bank robbery or the hostage situation; it's really about all the people (idiots) and how they get to know each other, and we get to know them.

The way the story progressed was a little annoying to me - the back and forth in time and character, but I enjoyed getting to know the characters and to know the story from different angles. And by the end, if you don't see a little of yourself in all of the characters, you're not paying enough attention (either to the story or to yourself).

Nothing but praise for this gem. Such a rich story of characters told in such detail and with such care. I haven't read a book in years that as soon as I finish I want to pick it up and read it all over again. I don't want to give too much away but the way the stories connect and intertwine is so inventive and clever. Though this book deals with dark topics, it leaves you feeling less small, less alone as a person.,This book is a study in humanity, in the ups and downs in life and perseverance and hope and the importance of planting that apple tree, even if you know the world is going to end tomorrow. I feel like the title doesn't give sufficient credit to the story and might turn some readers off but that's a minor issue. This is by far one of the best books I have read so far this year.

This is a completely biased review. I would probably give Fredrik Backman's shopping list 5 stars. On the day before New Year's Eve, 7 strangers are accidentally taken hostage by a failed bank robber. . Over the course of an afternoon the strangers become friends and the police struggle with the mysterious disappearance of the bank robber. In typical Backman fashion, the individuals' stories intertwine to create a beautiful coherent whole.

Fredrik Backman does it again!!
this is a story about a bank robber but maybe, it is a story about life, the struggles we go through and how some of us suffer
in the quiet, hiding our pain. This is a story of making connections and life triggers stress and anxiety. Lovely and relatable book!!

Would absolutely read 300x againn

I don't know how Fredrik Backman manages to fill his books with so many characters who are so unique, yet relatable. In a single book, he manages to showcase the feelings and development of so many different characters, and tie them together with powerful shared moments and memories. The situation in Anxious People brings people together by exploring both their differences and their similarities, and I really liked how there were a few twists and turns in the story. I also found that the depth of the characters allowed them to be good people with a less-than-perfect side, rather than having outright good or bad characters.

I absolutely LOVED "Anxious People." It was so witty yet full of sarcastic humor. It was also light while at the same time making some very deep observations about what it means to be human. "Anxious People" will make you laugh, it might make you cry, and it will definitely make you not want to put the book down. I would say that it is an absolute must-read for the fall.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I have only read one other Fredrik Backman book (A Man Called Ove), but I have heard such good things about his writing that I wanted to check this book out. This book was very quirky but I liked it! It centers around a bank robbery gone wrong, where the robber then takes a group of people touring an apartment hostage. The writing was very witty, and while the characters at first seemed a bit silly and over-the-top, as the book went on I started to see the ideas about human nature that Backman was trying to showcase.

I LOVE Fredrik Backman. I just have to start by screaming that from the rooftops.

This book is definitely different and has a quirky style of storytelling. Anxious People is the story of a truly wacky and interesting group of characters. The people in this story are why they say you can't judge a book (or person) by their cover - or first impressions in this case.

I highly recommend this book. It made me cry, but it also made me laugh out loud. It was witty and full of love. It left me in tears and sad to say goodbye.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Fredrik Backman!

I am a huge fan and this book just reinforced that ten-fold. At first, the stories and people feel disjointed but as the book progresses, those loose threads magically knit together. A near suicide, an unlikely bank robber who ends up an unlikely hostage taker, a father/son police team and a group of odd balls who came to view an apartment for rent and end up as hostages. What do these people all have in common? Each chapter dissects what is happening at that moment and gives you insight into the character. In true Fredrik Backman fashion, they are all unusual yet very ordinary and have a story with a twist and they are all very anxious. Funny, heartbreaking, insightful and extremely clever - the adjectives could go on forever. Once again, Fredrik Backman has made us appreciate what it means to be human and has allowed us to laugh at ourselves just a little. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Anxious People is about a group of random people who get caught up in a hostage drama and end up making friends. It's very precious and contrived and I had to force myself to finish so I could write a review in good conscience. I'm not sure if Backman's style is wearing thin or I'm just in a bad mood these days but it felt like this book was trying too hard to emotionally manipulate me. I've loved several of his past books but this one didn't work. Because there were so many characters, you never really got to know any of them and when they appeared it was back to back tear-jerking revelations page after page.

After a failed bank robbery, a banker robber on the run accidentally ends up with a room full of hostages at an open house. After letting all of the hostages go, the police storm the apartment, only to find it completely empty. Now the police must interview the dysfunctional group to figure out what exactly happened.

Less mystery and more character study, Backman does an excellent job purposefully playing with your assumptions about the character. However, I didn't love the book, partly because the unusual narration kept everything at an arm's length. You don't even learn the characters' names until partway through the story. In all, Backman basically preaches to the reader about how we need compassion because we are all flawed, which some people will love but I found a bit offputting.