One single really bad idea can ruin a person’s life. So when a bank robber tries to rob a cashless bank and then escapes into an apartment that is having an open house, what can go wrong? That is how Anxious People opens and right from the start Backman has the reader smiling along as he settles the reader into the heart of the story.

A roomful of people who didn’t know each other before this event will be forever changed by it. The author has written a fun cast of characters including a couple that like to visit all of the IKEA stores in Sweden, a little old lady who likes her wine and is forever waiting for her husband to park the car, a couple with a baby on the way, a woman who puts a clean towel on the sofa before sitting on it, a realtor working for a firm with a really bad name and a rabbit. Investigating the crime are two cops, one who believes in doing the right thing and one who believes in doing things correctly-and they aren’t always the same thing.

Much like in A Man Called Ove there is a serious message behind the humorous storyline. As a person of Danish descent, the dry humour was perfect. Not too sweet or preachy. The writing is lighthearted but in a grounded way. The characters are diverse and whacky, while deep and sentimental. It is a feat for a book to accomplish all this and yet this is what Fredrik Backman has done.

Thank you to @simonschusterca and @netgalley for this advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review. Anxious People publishes September 8, 2020.

& he does it again 👏🏻🙌🏻. Finished this book in a couple of days, very few hours of sleep but I couldn’t put it down🤪.

I truly loved Backman’s style of writing and depiction of each character. The story has so many turns and twists in the storyline but it got me hooked from the beginning. 💛

This isn’t usually my favourite genre, but I’ve been a fan of @backmansk since “A Man Called Ove” and this one did NOT disappoint. It was quirky with a bit of mystery and I had a great time reading it. Fredrik Backman has been officially added to the list of favourite authors.

This story is about love, lose, connection, depression, and trying to do your best even when it seems the world is against you.

Thank you for introducing me to Zara, she is me and I am her 😍

The title of the book caught me immediately, who hasn’t dealt with anxiety at some point in their life? Even reading this book it gave me some anxiety (the good kind! Haha)

Don’t forget to pick up a copy September 8th 🙌🏻

Thank you @netgalley and @simonschusterca for this advanced E-Copy of this gem in exchange for a review 🤓.

"Boats that stay in the harbour are safe, sweetheart, but that's not what boats are built for." - Anxious People

REVIEW - Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

In Anxious People, Backman sets up a plot of a hostage situation from a bank robbery gone wrong. But is this really what the story is about?

Of course not. He continues on to build the story, exposing bits and pieces of each character to expose the true nature of events by the end.

You will be surprised. You will smile, laugh. You will probably get choked up. You'll definitely have some "aha" moments of lessons learned through the tale - because doesn't every Backman story leave us wanting to be better people?

Backman's ability to weave together the most unlikely of characters in the most natural way, and to cause readers to feel so much for them, is one of the top reasons I absolutely love his stories.

Anxious People is one of those stories that makes you see the good in humankind, and you'll be sorry to see it end.

Thank you to @atriabooks, @simonandschuster, and @netgalley for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“We’re just strangers passing each other, your anxieties briefly brushing against mine as the fibers of our coats touch momentarily on a crowded sidewalk somewhere. We never really know what we do to each other, with each other, for each other.”

What It’s About: This is a story about an apartment viewing that turns into a hostage drama when a would-be bank robber inadvertently winds up in the apartment. It may sound uneventful but a hostage situation with eight anxious people is something else. This is a story about being human, about love.

“Sometimes two strangers only need one thing in common to find each other sympathetic.”

My thoughts: I LOVED it! Backman’s writing and depictions of human nature is just spot on as always! The things that are said in the book about relationships and life are so true, wise and honest. That’s what I like about his books. He gets it!

The characters are complicated, flawed, but good people who made questionable choices.

The story seems to be fragmented in the beginning with all the twists and turns. But as it progresses, everything makes sense.

Honestly, this book left me speechless. I do not know what else to say except give this a read. It is entertaining, funny, tragic and heartwarming all at the same time!

TW: Suicide, suicidal thoughts

Pub. Date: Sep 8, 2020

***Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for this gifted review copy in exchange for an honest review.***

A bank robbery gone wrong. When said robber attempts to rob a cashless bank... they end up fleeing the scene.... and with limited escape plans, wind up in an apartment hosting an open house. So now it’s a hostage situation!
This is a story about being human. And how people with seemingly nothing in common, can connect in powerful ways. Certain moments in our lives can stay with us and influence our decisions and perceptions significantly without really knowing why.
I have to say, this is my first book by this author- and I LOVED the beginning and the end, but felt a little lost in the middle. There were so many raw truths throughout this book that ANY human being could relate to- I did a lot of highlighting to capture quotes that resonated with me. I think my biggest issue was with the characters and their lack of respect for each other. I didn’t warm to any of them really, which I guess is the challenge in writing a story with so many characters. I refused to put it down though, because I had to find out who the bank robber was and if the characters changed in the end.
The quirky characters comedic with a splash of intrigue- would make for an entertaining movie... I could see that happening!

Told in the deep and honest writing style that is familiarly Fredrick Backman, Anxious People is a striking comedy about a crime that never took place and is never solved. This book explores the depth of love and loss, and the risks people will take to protect both. This story centers around, a would-be bank robber and eight strangers who, in the end, have more in common than they ever imagined.
Highly recommended to fans of Backman, and for those who are yet to be.

* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I just completed a the netgalley version of Fredrik Backman's upcoming book "Anxious People". Wow. Just another amazing offering from an author who makes me laugh and cry simultaneously. His stories always ring true and yet take me to a world of fairy tales. While I got it as an ebook, I will be buying the print version to add to my collection alongside All of his previous books. 2 thumbs up! 11 stars out of 10. Kudos!

4.5*
Fredrik Backman got me right in the feels. This book is thought provoking, comical, and heart wrenching. This book had me wanting to rip out the pages and show them to people. Backman is so insightful, this release could not come at a more opportune time. I feel this book will be a balm for the soul during this pandemic.

This book is different from Backman's previous work. Anxious People gives us new characterizations to love. This book features a would-be bank robber, a hostage situation and a cast of very complex characters. Nothing is exactly what it seems. We get a front seat to the trials and tribulations of each individual whose lives are affected by the hostage situation - from the hostages, to the police, to the robber. These are good people, questionable people, quirky people; we learn about their lives and the motives that encourage their decisions. These people were frustrating as hell in the beginning, but by the end of the book I felt a genuine fondness for them all.

The beginning of this book is a bit hard to follow. Push through! Backman is being intentionally confusing (in my opinion) and the payoff is worth it. This book lost half a star for me because there is a certain... vague-ness that I didn't love. Some reading between the lines is required, and as a reader, I prefer to be told the story in no uncertain terms. I already miss the characters and this story. I want an epilogue, if not a sequel!

Simply put, this book is about being human and the connections we create. It's a love story but not only in the way you'd think. Compassion, empathy and friendship are displayed so perfectly, I could cry just thinking about it. The Author's Thanks had me crying all over again.

I cannot express how much I enjoyed this Backman book. True to his style he had me captivated from beginning to end. I laughed, felt sad, felt empathy, saw courage and transformation in the characters which were so well developed as the story progressed. Simple plot really, but the story flowed as we got to know and understand the people, all so diverse, and saw how they let us into the deepest parts of their lives. Would be a terrific selection for my book club!

I truly loved Backman’s style of writing and depiction of human characteristics. Not sure I was hooked from the very beginning with so many turns and twists in the storyline. But, patience and perseverance was worth the time spent reading as characters were brought to life.

It begins with a debunked bank robbery, never bite more than you can chew I’d say to the bank robber. Who after his/her fail entry must find a place to hide and instead steps into an apartment viewing with 7 very high strung people in attendance. This then turns into a hostage situation, because what else would a masked gun holding running from the law person be doing in New York on New Year’s Eve!

I felt sorry for the bank robber./hostage taker as she has to endure the anal retentive stories from all these 7 others. The anxious people bring to light some of the most funny and realistic stories of themselves ranging from past trauma experiences to suicidal ideation to just plain fear or raising a family in these times and it didn’t even include the phenomenal COVID pandemic (my suggestion to Fredrik is to add this post script)

Overall, I give it a 4 star. Thank you Netgalley for allowing my personal humble opinion.

Wonderful! Admittedly not the easiest of reads, it is so much to share to get to something so worth the effort. We all need to be allowed to convince ourselves that we’re more then the mistakes we made yesterday. That we are all our next choices, too, all our tomorrows. The best Backman yet!

I just finished Anxious People and it gets four stars from me! I’ll admit it was a rocky start — I was extremely annoyed/frustrated with ALL of the characters and I was trying to figure out what type of satire madness this book was supposed to be. But in typical Backman fashion, he was busy behind the scenes weaving a complex and beautiful tale about humans. Good humans, questionable humans, wacky humans — their lives and the various motives that encourage their decisions. By the end of the book I felt a genuine fondness for all of the characters, particularly Estelle. I just love stories where everyone’s background somehow intertwines and this book didn’t let me down. Contemporary isn’t usually my favourite genre (which, I suppose, I don’t know if that’s what this is technically categorized as), but this one was so fun. It was quirky with a bit of mystery and I had a great time reading it. Fredrik Backman is 100% an auto-buy author for me now.

Loved this book....it is simply a brilliant read! Switching between past and present, and different sets of characters, the author eventually ties this rather unlikely story all together with humor and his very unique writing style.

Jim and Jack are father and son who work together on the police force. One day they are called to attend a hostage situation to try and resolve it. By virtue of it being New Years Eve most of the force is off so it falls on them by default.
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The hostage situation began in a unique way when a burglar tried to rob a bank unsuccessfully and during his attempted escape he ended up at an apartment viewing by mistake. The rest of the story outlines the story of Jack and the rest of the hostages. It details both their personal lives as well as their experience during the hostage situation.
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So listen I am sure that was a horrible synopsis but I am telling you this might be my new favourite book. I had never read a Frederick Backman book before and had been wanting to for so long. I’ve actually already picked up three of his other books from the library and can’t wait to read them.
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This one had me seriously hooked from word one and I could barely put it down. The writing style is so unique and interesting and it had me laughing out loud. I can’t say one bad thing about this one and highly recommend you check it out when it comes out on September 8, 2020.

Fredrik Backman is a master of putting characters together and creating a funny and emotional human drama. I thoroughly enjoyed reading his Beartown series wondering how the best hockey novel comes from Sweden, not from Canada, and admiring the skill of weaving a tapestry of so many characters.

"Anxious People" is not a disappointment. It is more controlled in terms of the number of characters and a more focused situation, which is a hostage case. From the first page, the omniscient narrator tells the reader that this book is about a bank robbery, a hostage drama and a story about idiots. And it really is and then it is not.

On a day before New Year's Eve, an odd time for an open house, a bank robber walks into the apartment where two couples (one is a IKEA-obsessed house flipping couple and the other a lesbian couple expecting a baby), a female bank manager with social and mental issues and an eighty years old woman are looking at the apartment with a view. As the bank robber has a gun, the whole situation is a hostage case and a father and son police duo is dealing with the situation and later trying to solve the puzzle on where the bank robber/ hostage taker is.

Every character is pictured in detail and with care. Every idiot's life story is an easy one that readers can relate themselves to. In the end, the story is about human relationships, empowered women and mental health. Because it is a comedy, everything is neatly folded and after some tears, a warm smile will remain.

The book is quire readable literarily. If this is a movie or TV show, we will lose a lot of fun that only a readable book can provide. Without any spoilers, I would only say that as it involves a crime, the novel "reads" like a detective story in many ways.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me a chance to read this book.

For the first half of this novel, I thought a better title would have been "Insufferable Assholes" because all of the characters were incredibly disrespectful. As the plot is revealed and motivations are uncovered, I conceded that these people still weren't perfect, but so few of us are. This story is about love, lose, connection, depression, and trying to do your best even when you repeatedly come up short.

CW: suicidal thoughts/mention of suicide, continual use of an ableist slur.

Backman has crafted a simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking whodunit with his new novel, releasing in English this September. The premise sounds like fun and while that is true, Backman has once again told a story that is a reflection of humanity and delves deep into topics like parenthood. He hits you with twists you don't expect, and the stories of each character tie together nicely, and provide great background on their motivations. Even the "unlikable" characters were lovely to read about, and I thoroughly enjoy Anxious People. Fredrik Backman remains my favourite auto-buy author and I will definitely be encouraging customers to buy this one!

The writing style took a bit of getting used to - the first 20% of the book just felt like rambling to me. But then the first twist came about around 60% and a lot of things previously mentioned no longer made sense. I felt outright deceived by the author. However, overall I enjoyed the book. The characters and "narration" if you can call it that we're brilliant! I hope a follow-up is written only about Zara's character!

Backman has done it again! His latest novel, Anxious People, due out (in English translation) in September, is a comedic, yet deep and moving commentary on life.
I am such a fan of Fredrik Backman’s work, so jumped around the chance to read this eARC. Anxious People reads like a zany skit, but the layers of social commentary Backman is known for shine through and I was in tears by the end, as per usual. (Need to read the acknowledgments too, to carry on the tears.)
Anxious People highlights the impact we have on those we love, but also those brief, casual encounters.

Beautiful, complicated, sad, happy.
So many emotions reading this book.
Absolutely stunning.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.