I find it unusual to find literary fiction that is humorous. This book was that and much more. I would like to re-read it soon because I feel that a second or even a third reading there would be even more things to gleam from it. I love how the author turns everything upside down. Can’t wait to read more of his books.

Fredrik Backman's writing is lyrical, whimsical, and heartwarming. It feels like hanging out with a very witty and observant friend who has the language to describe everything you are witnessing perfectly and humorously.

This book got me in the feels.

I could tell you that this book is a closed room mystery about a bank robbery gone wrong or that it is about "idiots" or that it is about human spirit and human frailty but none of those pieces would come close to describing the impact that the sum of the parts have on the whole of the reader's soul.

Poignant, hilarious, redemptive...5 brilliant stars.

Thank you to Fredrik Backman, Atria and Netgalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read all of Backman’s novels and his latest book keeps up with the stride of his previous work! Backman has such an eloquent writing style bringing up important themes such as empathy, community, feeling ‘enough’, and mental health, in a way that resonates with you and really makes you think about them even after you’re done with the book. Honestly, it took me a while to figure how I wanted to rate Anxious People. At first, it took me a while to get into the book. There were some instances where I felt the author was rambling a bit and deriving from the story, however, everything ended up making sense at the end. I highly recommend picking up Anxious People. Be forewarned that I took my time reading Anxious People as you need to be in a certain headspace to read this one.

I wasn’t a huge fan of A Man Called Ove when everyone else adored it, so I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one. I totally loved it! Think Bel Canto meets Elinor Lipman style humor. What a delight!

I love Fredrik Backman! His books touch me like no others. Anxious People is funny, clever and bought me to tears at the end. It starts silly and will make you laugh, until you realize that there is so much more to the story. Backman has a true understanding of how hard it is to be alive, but also how beautiful life can be.

I love this author and this book so very much! I was in love with A Man Called Ove a few years ago, and could not stop talking about it. This is right in that same vein. Quirky characters and unconventional situations merge to tug at your heart (sobbing at the end) and renew your faith in humans (which in itself is quite a feat these days!). A first-time bank robber attempts to rob a bank (that ends up being cashless), with a fake gun...then, when the cops are called, escapes to an apartment building across the street where a real estate open house is being held...thereby taking all inside as hostages. Nothing more needs said, but how this mess gets worked out is a delightful ride. This is a highly recommended read, and I am sure I will be gifting it to others once published.. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

Loved this book! I had forgotten how funny, yet poignant Fredrik Backman's books are. Great character development too. Run to get this book!

"A bank robbery. A hostage drama. A stairwell full of police officers on their way to storm an apartment.

This, for instance, might not actually be the story of a bank robbery, or an apartment viewing, or a hostage drama. Perhaps it isn’t even a story about idiots. ••• Perhaps this is a story about a bridge."

i always look forward to anything that fredrik blackman writes, and anxious people does not disappoint it is a book about idiots and i fell in love.

A sweet story of compassion and benevolence. The style starts in a tongue-in-cheek, paternalistic manner and transitions to a kindness-conquers-all happy finish. It’s a bit of a fairy tale — both in terms of the happy ending and the oversimplified set of troubles with which the story begins — but it is uplifting and poignant and brought me to tears several times with the beauty of specific human moments.

The (self-stated absolutely ridiculous) story is about a bank robber. Sort of. Said robber only asks for 6,500 kroner but makes the mistake of going to a cashless bank … and somehow escapes into an apartment viewing, inadvertently taking hostages. Lots of things tie together in a twisted but essential way as we get to know all the characters, how they evolved into the state they are in, and how they will continue to evolve (more sanely) in the aftermath.

Some very interesting twists of gender expectations which I both enjoyed and found fascinating.

I found the initial chapters depressing and was irritated with the avuncular (and often second person) style. A very clear ultra-liberal message — everybody makes mistakes, it’s OK to blame society (and especially the money-grubbing banks) for everything that is wrong in your life, and if everyone is simply kind to each other, all our problems will be solved. There is one character — an economist / senior bank official — who spouts a defense of capitalism and responsibility, but it turns out that she is suffering from a trauma that has led her to withdraw into that opinion, and she “sees the light” by the end of the book. I find that kind of annoying and oversimplified, but I admit to really enjoying the book!

To begin, just a quick word of thanks to Atria Books/Simon & Schuster, as well as netgalley.com for an advanced copy of this novel in return for an honest review of the novel.

I'll start by saying that I am a fan of Fredrik Backman's novels. I am not sure how I stumbled upon him - usually, Amazon will provide me an author or a novel of "something I might be interested in". I had first read "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry", and really enjoyed it. I moved on to "A Man Called Ove" - which is probably one of the best novels I have read in a while. Finally, I read "Britt-Marie Was Here", and enjoyed that novel, too. So - when I saw that Backman has a new book out - "Anxious People" - I was more than excited to get an opportunity to read this one.

Unfortunately, "Anxious People" wasn't great, in my opinion. It wasn't bad, but I was mildly disappointed in the novel. The story revolves around 8 strangers, who are being held hostage at an apartment viewing by an inept bank robber. The story also includes a father and son duo, who are the local police officers who are at this hostage scene. In the few Backman novels I have read, I enjoy his use of comedy peppered throughout the story - especially when the story includes some dark topics, such as suicide, death of a loved one, and divorce. Backman is able to tug on your emotions - making you feel both good and sad at the characters of the novel.

My biggest issue with "Anxious People" is that, for whatever reason, this story did not do it for me. I never really got into the characters - their stories, their issues, their flaws - in a way that I have been able to in the previous Backman novels I read. To be honest, I almost gave up on this one around the midway point of the novel. The story was just too silly, especially at the start of the novel. The police interviews - where the hostages were rude to the police officers; the real estate agent's goofiness throughout the book; and the interactions between the father-son police officers just seemed off to me - it was just not interesting. The novel did pick up throughout the second half, and the interactions between the hostages, the bank robber, and the police officers, were better - more like what I remember from the Backman books I enjoyed.

I still have other Backman books to read, and I look forward to reading them. He is a good author, and will get your emotions going with some well-written stories, but to me, "Anxious People" really didn't do it for me.

3.5 stars. It was really difficult to get into and the first half of the book was extremely slow. As usual, though, Backman has so many beautiful passages and observations on life that I laughed out loud and shed a tear many times throughout the book.

Oh my goodness, I LOVED this book so very much. As always, Fredrik Backman makes us love the characters, feel like we know the characters and root for every single one of them. Anxious People is fantastic...highly recommend.
Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for this amazing ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Six stars
Obviously Fredrik Backman is a literary genius and this book proves it. I couldn't put it down and read it in a day. The development of the characters creates a sense of camaraderie between the reader and the characters.
"People are idiots" but most of the time we are just doing the best we can at the moment and we all need a purpose in life.
This is the story of two police officers, a bank robber unable to rob a bank because it was cashless, who in turn runs across the street and takes a group of people hostage that are viewing an available apartment. When the hostages are released, the police officers rush into the apartment only to find blood on the floor and the bank robber missing. Where did the bank robber go?
In addition to the mystery of the missing bank robber, each character is dealing with their own insecurities and anxieties. Roger's ego is hurt, Ana-Lena feels guilty, Julie is angry, Ro is scared, Zara is in pain, Lennart is stuck, Estelle is lonely and the bank robber is remorseful. Jack is frustrated and Jim is mourning. While being held hostage, each person is "wrestling with their own story." The people in the apartment seem a bit high strung in the beginning, but the longer they are together, the more mellow and accepting they become. All the people in the apartment need to forgive someone and the bank robber needs their forgiveness.
Backman takes each character and shows how an incident in one person's life may affect another's in a sort of "fortunately/unfortunately" style.
The story begins with the robbery and works backward between Jim and Jack attempting the interview the hostages with some laugh- out- loud moments, the actual hostage situation and a bit of the back story of characters examining their insecurities.
In the end, Backman has masterfully interwoven all the characters' lives and leaves the reader rooting for the bank robber.

So, for me, this wasn't one of Backman's stronger offerings. All the elements were there, but the way they were put together (particularly in the beginning, when Backman kept jumping around) didn't enable them to be elevated in the way they could've been. What this really needed was a stronger anchoring element - or central character. And you would think that the set up would be anchoring enough - and, at points, it is - but because there is so much flitting between characters, and because Backman has a lot to say here, I do believe it would've helped if there had been a designated main character for everyone else to orbit around. That's what makes all the zany sweetness in A Man Called Ove work so well: everyone's drama cycles around Ove's.

Now, all this said, it is still a Backman book, which means that even with its' faults it's still pretty damn entertaining and affecting. Is there a smidge too much ending fatigue and grandstanding? Well, yeah, but there are a lot of really great, uplifting little moments too - and, rather unexpectedly, there's a pretty great little locked room mystery too. If you've read Backman before I definitely think you'll find something to enjoy here. (And if you haven't...maybe try A Man Called Ove or Beartown first.)

Backman does it again! This time through a bank robbery turned hostage situation gone wrong! This book was FUNNY. I felt like I was reading iterations of Larry David. And then it was whole heartedly, not funny, and deep. I felt all of the emotions while reading this. I think it is important to note that this does NOT take place in America, where policing looks very different. Any Backman fans should pick this up, and if you haven't read him yet, now is the time!!

I am not sure how I would rate this book. It is a comedy, which I tend to have difficulty with this genre. I almost abandoned it a couple of time. However, I decided to not abandon it and finished it. It was a really sweet story. In a way it reminded me Ove, that kind of sweet. Character development was excellent.

Anxious People is the fifth book I've read by Fredrik Backman. It is his newest release, which I found on NetGalley (thank you), and I would definitely encourage others to read it. Backman is one of those authors who was meant to be an author -- he has a deep understanding of human nature, knows how to build suspense and emotion, and includes so many surprises in the plot. He also ensures you have a book hangover for days after finishing his work!

A bank robber who really never meant to be a bank robber ends up escaping and holding a group of people hostage in an apartment viewing. It's all accidental, and the anxiety we see covers a cast of about ten main characters, each who comes at the story with a very different perspective. The tale weaves in and out, revealing connections and history, all the while moving the police interviews forward. The bank robber was never found. None of the hostages are talking about what happened in the end. And the two policemen seem to be at odds over who was responsible for which piece of the investigation. Something is definitely going on below the surface.

When I began reading, it wasn't an immediate love. I found it choppy and meandering without enough clarity for me to latch on to. I later realized that was intentional and necessary. I should've known better in the beginning, as I was hesitating to read it the second day. While I adored three of his past books, one wasn't a good match, so I worried this was gonna end up that same way. Trust me, hang on... while there are a few sections that you can tell were intentionally confusing (not the best tool for an author to choose, but one that can work well in limited quantities), for the most part, it's very straightforward. It's just a matter of reading between the lines and figuring out what isn't being said.

Imagine you are held hostage. The gun appears fake. The bank robber's story is an emotional one. You've got your own issues to deal with. They're all neurotic in their own ways... would you let the bank robber get away with it? No harm was done, other than the fear you might be hurt. But based on the way the events unfold, there really wasn't any danger, it seemed... so... maybe you might say "Let the bank robber go" if things turned out the same way for you. I don't know... I'm pretty big on people being held accountable for their actions. Not only did the bank robber try to rob a bank, fail, and then escape, but the bank robber also waved a gun at 7 or 8 people in an apartment viewing down the block and basically held them hostage. So that's two bad things, which means it's really a bit of an innate thing. That said, it was all for the same reason, and potentially a good one, but still.... I ramble. Backman does that to you.

My biggest concern was the way many of the other people handled the situation. All a little contrived to some degree, but still entertaining and quite real in many aspects. I considered pushing up to a 4.5, but there were too many plot items that just didn't add up enough for me. So... I still say it's a must-read but you have to let go of your own anxieties and expectations and recognize this is more about people's neuroses and reactions, not whether this could've legitimately happened. When I do that, it's an easy 5 stars because Backman captures people's true nature better than no other author I know.

I really liked this book! Don't get me wrong, "A Man Called Ove" is still Backman's best, but considering I think that's one of the best books I've ever read, I don't really expect him to surpass it. That being said, "Anxious People" didn't disappoint me at all; in fact, I think I enjoyed the first chapter of this book more than any other I have read recently. Especially the line "Sometimes we panic, because the bills need paying and we have to be grown-up and we don't know how, because it's so horribly, desperately easy to fail at being grown-up." Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm not 16 anymore and others expect me to be a grown-up, so that line stuck with me.

For me, character development is essential to a good story, and this book definitely has that. Just when I felt like the plot was lagging, Backman would throw in a little nugget from one of the characters and I'd be right back into it. His characters' personalities, variety, and lack of stereotypes were wonderfully refreshing (the various meanings of "Stockholmers" made me chuckle). He kept me guessing until the very end! Definitely would recommend this book.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you want to believe in humanity again, just go read a Backman book. This is my fourth novel by the incredibly talented writer and 𝗔𝗻𝘅𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 is just what I needed for all the feels and witty dialogue. ⁣
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Backman is his own genre...no one writes such deep character-driven novels as he does. I’m just in awe of the magic he brings to layering his storytelling again & again!!
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Beartown still has my heart, but this novel has a secret character that wins as one of the most unforgettable characters of 2020 that I desperately needed during these weird quarantine times.
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Put Anxious People on your TBR & you won’t regret it!! I recommend going in blind (it’s a Backman novel, what more do you need to know?!),

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book!
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As always, Backman could write a grocery list and make me feel emotional.
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This one took me a bit to warm up to. God the characters were seemingly unintelligent and illogical. But of course it all comes together in ways only Backman can do. Every character plays a role that makes you smile, roll your eyes or even take in a deep breath.
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TW for suicide. It is a major topic in this and personally I have lost a parent this way— so at first I was not sure if I would continue. But I did and I’m happy I did. However, if this is a highly sensitive topic for you may want to tread with caution.