Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller A People Book of the Week, Book of the Month Club selection, and Best of Fall in Good Housekeeping, PopSugar, The Washington Post, New York Post, Shondaland, CNN, and more! “[A] quirky, big-hearted novel…Wry, wise, and often laugh-out-loud funny, it’s a wholly original story that delivers pure pleasure.” –People From the #1 New York Times bestselling … wholly original story that delivers pure pleasure.” —People
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove comes a charming, poignant novel about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.
Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world.
Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them–the bank robber included–desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.
Rich with Fredrik Backman’s “pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature” (Shelf Awareness), Anxious People is an ingeniously constructed story about the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope–the things that save us, even in the most anxious times.
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I adored this book. So many brilliant observations about life, so many relatable characters. So much humor and heart. Frederik Bachman is a master at tapping into the anxieties that live in all of us, and bringing the things we think are uninteresting to the fore and uniting us through them. Highly recommend
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.
A special, thoughtful, funny and wise book. I loved it.
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!
Words are hard to come by after I finish a Fredrik Backman book. “Anxious People” is crowded with wit and wisdom. He produces statements that make one ponder thoughtfully; to be mulled over sympathetically. The next moment situations and dialogue materialize that make the reader guffaw or outright belly-laugh. He has the perfect mix of humor and heartache making this a page-turner and one that can be reread several times.
A small group of strangers are looking at an apartment the day before New Year’s when a failed bank robber takes them hostage. The life stories of the hostages unfurl along with the mystery of what actually happened, and it’s quite a quirky ride. I loved the way this book began, and I loved the way it ended. The middle got a silly, but I’m very glad I read to the end!
This author has a great talent and I will read anything he writes.
I loved, loved A Man Called Ov so maybe my expectations were set a little too high on Anxious People. I did enjoy this book a great deal and would recommend it to anyone. The concept is unique, a bank robbery investigated by a father and son and their conflicts. This would’ve been five stars had the backstory of “The bank robber,” not been in second person. This structure not only stopped the forward motion of the story but for me it was like fingernails on a chalkboard. I have no problem with first person, third person and third person close, second person tossed me out of the story and held me at arm’s length.
In the first part of the book the author doesn’t stay with anyone character long enough for the reader to relate to them. For me this is critically important for establishing what I need most out of a book, The Fictive Dream, a state where I become immersed in the story. During the opening pages of most books authors are tasked with endearing the reader to the character, what I’ve heard described as, “Patting the head of the dog.”
The big reason this book works and is so popular is the author’s credibility, he is a wonderful talent who readers trust implicitly and are willing to give him a few pages to set up the story. The book really digs in on page 107 so hold out a little longer if tempted to put it down, you won’t regret it. Four out of five stars.
David Putnam author of the Bruno Johnson Series
With an equal measure of humor and philosophy, Backman’s latest work examines the intricacies of family and home and the anxiety we feel over getting it right. The novel’s structure engaged me from the very beginning with its omniscient voice moving two steps forward and then one step backward, telling what the novel was about in a way that was delightfully unreliable. And as the dots connected and puzzle pieces began to fit together, the experience of this novel was as much an intellectual exercise as a dive into the neuroses of its many delightful characters. I was struck by Backman’s ability to develop all eight characters in a hostage situation so masterfully. The book goes beyond story telling and is a plea for compassion in this crazy world. It will have you laughing at our foibles and universal oddities, its observations are really spot on. I listened to the audio version of the book and the narrator did an incredible job of giving each speaking character a voice of their own. I highly recommend this book!
Backman has a way of making the reader confront the saddest most depressing parts of life and right when they start to feel down and out, he brings it way back up and reminds us why life isn’t that terrible.
When I started this book I thought I was going to read a funny story with disgruntled characters. Then, the author made the characters real people, with real life situations, which he discussed with some humor, yes, but mostly with clarity, honesty, sensitivity and empathy. I couldn’t put it down. Excellent book.
Life is hard and today’s time of pandemic fears, politics, misinformation, unrest and lives on hold, we are nothing, if not anxious.
And this laughout loud book of people coping with the their malaise is the solution.
Where else can you have an almost bank robber, a married couple trying too hard, an older woman, married same sex couple, a banker, and more stuck in a home for sale.
You’ll meet a rabbit, a realtor that reminds me of a line in the movie, “You’ve Got Mail”, that says “she makes coffee nervous”, and more.
Two policeman trying their best not to hurt each other as Jim and Jack are father and son and dealing with a hostage situation at an open house.
This book meanders, goes off the track, and made me wonder if I could keep reading, only to realize, this was on purpose. To catch you off guard, to not totally understand what a person jumping off a bridge wrote in a letter, to see a couple in love so confused and to feel the stress and anxiety.
People make mistakes and are much harder on themselves than need be. Life is hard, life is what you make it. If you are lucky, you meet a group of “worst hostages ever”, and they listen and want to help.
The poor policemen left to solve the question, where is the bank robber with the gun….oh my! I really felt for them as they tried to deal with each victim and get information without strangling the victim or each other. Funny!!
This is a novel about six degress of separation, about events in the past still affecting people now. And this is about love, acceptance and a little drawing of a frog, a monkey and an elk.
5 stars
This book blew me out of the water–I absolutely loved it. I listened to it on audio, which I STRONGLY recommend. There a significant number of characters to keep track of, and I found the different voices used for each one made it easier. The narrator does an excellent job of doing a large number of voices (which can be extremely challenging with different genders). Her normal voice for narration is a little too soothing in a way that may put you to sleep (so perhaps don’t listen while you drive) but the audio is overall just so spectacular.
As far as the story goes, it’s a masterpiece. About a would-be bank robber who attempts to rob a cashless bank and then ends up taking an apartment viewing full of people hostage, it explores so much about humanity and emotion and life it’s difficult to put into writing. We have the stories of 10+ individuals, who all have unique histories and perspectives, but their lives intertwine in such interesting ways. There’s twists and turns–but not like those big ones that make you want to throw the book–the kind where you’re like “Ahhhhh how did I not realize?” The book is both depressing and uplifting at the same time and is just a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s has tiny elements of mystery thrown in (what happened to the bank robber?), which I love, but that’s not really what the story is about. It’s about so much more, and, as the narrator tells us, it’s about a lot of different things. A bridge. A bank robber. People.
I can’t express how much I loved this book.
Thank you to Libro.fm for the free advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review!
Trigger warning: suicide, depression
What’s it like being a human being just trying to get through the day? It’s not an easy business particularly for a certain group of disperate people in a provincial Swedish town on the day before New Year’s Eve. A desperate bank robber tries to hold up a cashless bank and when that fails ends up taking hostage a number of people viewing an apartment for sale. This wonderful story explores the different lives of those involved – the bank robber, the hostages and the police who are trying to sort it out before the big boys from Stockholm arrive to take over. The result is a warm, clever, sad, and often very funny concoction that will leave a lasting impression. I highly recommend this book.
I did not care for this book. My friend who bought the audio book, liked it. Maybe if someone were to reaf it using voice inflections, it would be more entertaining.
Anxious People started out great for me but towards the middle I was getting bored at times. I have noticed that some people loved this book so if you want to try it out go for it!
I have always enjoyed this author but the story did not appeal to me. It left me with bad dreams and a comfortable feeling.
I didn’t think I could like a book Bachman wrote more than I loved a Man called Ove, but this did it. The character descriptions and motivations are entertaining and just so original. I’m not a critic so I don’t know how to write this as well as I wish I could. I couldn’t predict the ending and I’m glad I didn’t. It was such a delight to come to that point but I hated to say goodbye to the characters.
“Anxious People” by the gifted Frederik Backman is the most brilliant novel I have read. I wasn’t drawn in right away. I am really glad I kept reading.
This book is so extraordinary, when I finished, I had to read it again to see how Backman pulled it off.
I highly recommend “Anxious People.” The humor is subtle, the characters are complex, the plot is hard to put into words.
I cannot use enough superlatives to describe the cleverly written “Anxious People.”
Each character quirkier and more lovable than the last, a large helping of hilarity, and an emotional poignancy that is both unexpected and yet, somehow inevitable. This is a good book.
I really enjoyed this story of a group of people held hostage by an unsuccessful bank robber. How Backman takes such diverse characters and wraps them into such a heartwarming story is wonderful. Somehow these strangers come to feel sympathy for the unfortunate bank robber and come to terms with some of their own worries and fears.