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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This story begins as a comedy/mystery about an inept bank robber, bumbling police, and clueless witnesses; but it ends as a very touching story of redemption, kindness, hope and friendship. The reader gets really drawn into the story. Highly recommended.
I didn’t love it like “A Man Called Ove” but did like it. He’s such a good Writer of characters and this book was no exception.
Very entertaining.
Fredrick Backman’s characters are so heartwarmingly dysfunctional, likable, real. You feel as if you know them, understand them because, ultimately they are relatable. Anxious People is no exception. This is a charming story of how a bunch of people attending an apartment open house become a failed bank robber’s hostages but end up a family.
“The truth of course is that if people really were as happy as they look on the Internet, they wouldn’t spend so much damn time on the Internet, because no one who’s having a really good day spends half of it taking pictures of themselves.”
“The bank robber looked at each of them in turn for a long time. Then she whispered gratefully: ‘Worst hostages ever.'”
What starts out as a story about a bank robber turns into a story about idiots who actually aren’t idiots…they are just regular, everyday people who are just trying to live their lives to the best of their ability.
I was laughing, holding my breath and fighting back the tears (I’m a mom and a Nana so I get weepy with family struggles I can relate to). I love the way Backman writes. It’s heartfelt. It’s funny. It’s real.
Terrific plot. Lots of surprises.
Really good ending. Everything meshed together.Thank you Fredik Backman
is NOTHING I didn’t love about ANXIOUS PEOPLE. This author NEVER ceases to disappoint and just keeps getting better and better.
All the characters in this book are fleshed out and interesting. There are two fantastic twists, so many insights into life and the anxieties of those of us living in contemporary times. I listened to this on audio in the car with my kids (youngest 12, oldest 16) and we all enjoyed it. In fact, I loved it so much, I’ve just bought a print copy!! I rarely reread books but I will make the time for this one!
Thank you Librofm and Simon Audio for gifting me a copy of this audiobook. These opinions are my own.
4/5 Stars
I honestly didn’t know how much I’d like this book; at the beginning I found the repetitiveness to be a tad overdone and not my style. I’ve come to realize that Backman has a unique writing style, which is prevalent in his books. As the story started to unfold though, I really started to get into it. While these characters are strangers, they’re interconnected in unexpected ways.
There were a lot of main characters in this story and I appreciated that they each had a distinct personality with their individual hang ups in life. I also really enjoyed how this book wrapped up all of the loose storylines into a nice little bow.
It is very funny…his depiction of characters is truly a wonder and even if you don’t like them all the time, in the end it is a heart warming story that is unpredictable and truly sees the good in everyone…even those who are a pain. It is a good book for these times, with the anxiety of COVID, the protests, and often the lack of good will with this election. If you want a distraction that will warm your heart, this is it
Fredrik Backman has another winner here! The story starts out as an unusual bank robbery. It leads into an open house of an apartment where interesting prospective buyers become hostages. The small town law enforcement officers don’t know how to proceed. Ending was unpredictable.
This book is a quirky tale that made me laugh, and gave me hope. Read it.
I just read the last page of this book and I wanted to turn it over and start again. I giggled at parts, I teared up at parts, I re-read profound paragraphs. This is the first book I’ve read by this author but it won’t be the last I’ve already ordered A Man Called Ove. He’s brilliant and I would give it 10 stars if I could.
This is the book I needed to combat the divisiveness of 2020. Original, twist-filled, written in precise language, it contains all the warmth and affection I’ve come to associate with Backman’s writing.
This is the story of 8 strangers and a bank robber. An apartment viewing turns into a hostage situation with the most eclectic group of people you will ever meet. A young couple about to have a baby. A couple who flip apartments. An older woman, a rich woman, a man hired to disrupt the apartment showings, the real estate agent and….the bank robber. The group is the worst group of hostages ever who carry a life time of stories that they start to share with each other.
In the background are the two police officers who have “lost” the bank robber and are interviewing the hostages. The hostages are proving to be no help in getting to the bottom of the mystery of what happened in the apartment that day and where the bank robber went.
This was a GREAT book. I love 99% of Backman’s books – he is a brilliant writer. This one was light and funny and just an overal enjoyable read. The characters were infuriating and delightful to get to know all at once. You root for the bank robber. And the rich lady. And the couple who are having a baby. You will fall in love with them all.
Add this one to your list. It is a light heards, heart felt read that is perfect for now where there is so much turmoil
It started slow for me. Not sure it was a story I could latch onto, but I gradually fell in love with the characters and the good and bad in each of them and their lives. A simple story with complex underpinnings.
In some ways this book reminded me of Dickens. There are multiple characters who seem to have nothing in common. But as the story unfolds, you learn how they are all connected. I have never laughed so much listening to a book. However, even with the humor it containers serious subjects like suicide, bank robbery and hostages are taken. But more importantly, it is about how we all affect one another in small and big ways and for good or bad. It shows how very alike we humans really are despite our apparent differences. And even though I teared up at the end, it wasn’t due to sadness but joy and hope for the future. This book did what I hope all books I start to read do…it took me out of my current thoughts into a world unknown, full of adventure with characters I loved, empathized with and hated. But ultimately it was about love in all its forms.
I absolutely loved this book !
I laughed , I cheered for the bank robber for the hostages and for the police.
A great group of characters, reflection on life throughout the years.
They were sayings that I would say, my grandmother and my mother.
It is about human endurance, kindness and wisdom.
It is so much more than that and I laughed out loud so many times.
This book is a gem !
W
Please check out my full review of this awesome book at https://booktrib.com/2020/09/09/anxious-people-fredrik-backman/
Funny, compassionate and wise… an absolute joy.