Two Fredrik Backman book reviews in a row, who am I? I am officially in the Fredrik Backman fan club. I will read anything he writes and can’t wait to read all his other books. Today I’m sharing my review of Anxious People which came out today!
Synopsis
This is a poignant comedy 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.
Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers slowly begin opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths.
As police surround the premises and television channels broadcast the hostage situation live, the tension mounts and even deeper secrets are slowly revealed. Before long, the robber must decide which is the more terrifying prospect: going out to face the police, or staying in the apartment with this group of impossible people.
Why did I choose to read this book
As you know I loved Beartown and I received an advance copy of this book so I was super excited to read his latest book!
Rating
5 Stars (An absolutely amazing book!)
Characters
I hadn’t been good about putting together the character templates for the past few books I reviewed but I loved these characters so much that I had to do it for this one.
My Thoughts
Another great Backman book! As you know I loved Beartown and I was super excited to read this one. I went in not knowing much about it and I think it’s great to go in blind. Don’t read too much about it just trust me and read it. What is this book about? It’s about being human and about how we are all doing the best we can.
The writing is so good, that is what makes Backman’s books so special. I marked so many quotes that I ran out of book darts. I had to include some of my favorite quotes below so you can see what I’m talking about. The story was very clever and written perfectly. It is heartfelt but also funny at times. I laughed out loud a few times.
I loved all the characters so much! There isn’t one character I didn’t like and that is rare for me. This is a character driven book and all the characters as so well developed but at the same time there is a plot and even a little mystery. This is my kind of character driven book!
I read the physical book but I also had a copy of the audiobook so I listened to a chapter and the narration is amazing! There are some parts that are written in interview format and it was so well done in the audiobook. I recommend that format if you’re going to read it.
This book is sad, tragic, heartwarming, funny, it’s everything!
Favorite Quotes
“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. Anyone can nurture a myth about their life if they have enough manure, so if the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, that’s probably because it’s full of shit”
“The stupidest thing people who have everything think about people who have nothing is that it’s pride that stops a person from asking for help. That’s very rarely the case.”
“Unfortunately I think most people would still get more sympathy from their colleagues and bosses at work if they show up looking rough one morning and say ‘I’m hung over’ than if they say ‘I’m suffering from anxiety’.”
“They say that a person’s personality is the sum of their experiences. But that isn’t true, at least not entirely, because if our past was all that defined us, we’d never be able to put up with ourselves. We need to be allowed to convince ourselves that we’re more than the mistakes we made yesterday. That we are all of our next choices, too, all of our tomorrows.”
Content Warnings
Suicide, mental illness, death of family members, infidelity, divorce
Who I recommend this book to
Everyone! I really think there is something for everyone in Backman’s books and I can’t recommend this one enough.
Get the book!
Did this review of Anxious People convince you to read it? You can get the book from Bookshop.org here. Please consider ordering it from a Black owned independent bookstore. This list of Black owned independent bookstores accepts online ordering.
