Name: Anxious People
Rating: 4.278790786948177 (1042 reviews)
ISBN: 9781797105826

Marin Ireland

Fredrik Backman

A Novel

Anxious People

"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. First is Zara, a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else until tragedy changed her life. Now, she's obsessed with visiting open houses to see how ordinary people live--and, perhaps, to set an old wrong to right. Then there's Roger and Anna-Lena, an Ikea-addicted retired couple who are on a never-ending hunt for fixer-uppers to hide the fact that they don't know how to fix their own failing marriage. Julia and Ro are a young lesbian couple and soon-to-be parents who are nervous about their chances for a successful life together since they can't agree on anything. And there's Estelle, an eighty-year-old woman who has lived long enough to be unimpressed by a masked bank robber waving a gun in her face. And despite the story she tells them all, Estelle hasn't really come to the apartment to view it for her daughter, and her husband really isn't outside parking the car. 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." -- Barnes & Noble website.

Marvelous maaZa

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman was confusing at first, and I honestly kept wondering what was happening and why the characters were acting so strangely. But as the story slowly unfolded, everything began to make sense, and the book became surprisingly touching. The author beautifully conveys human emotions and reminds us how quick we are to judge people we meet only for a moment. If we spend just a little more time with someone listening to their fears and stories,we begin to understand them better. That’s the heart of this book. Overall, it’s a warm and thoughtful novel about empathy and human connection. Rating: 4.5/5

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 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.

Feels like enjoying a good series where you want to watch the next episode. Quick, easy read. Did not change my life. Like I said, similar to a series.

~ "Because you dance with the person you went to the party with. And I went with Knut"

Lutu

Feels like enjoying a good series where you want to watch the next episode. Quick, easy read. Did not change my life. Like I said, similar to a series.

~ "Because you dance with the person you went to the party with. And I went with Knut"

The first, and only, Fredrik Backmann novel I’ve read prior to this one had me howling in laughter, so when I picked up this book on a bookish shopping spree, the blurb promised me a book full of chuckling moments. What I got was much more – including puffy eyes from crying my heart out.

Anxious People meets the reader in a closed-stage environment, breaking out of it chapter by chapter by breaking into the lives of the characters portrayed. Every story counts, every perspective is valid and so much more than a one-sided beef. The author continuously reminds the reader that perspective, intention and motive matter more than actions taken in a split-second decision. Faults, errors and misguided intentions are as much part of life as a lighter offered, a door opened and the occasional fireworks to light up the darkest nights of the year.

Writing a review for this book is hard, because I don’t want to spoil the reading experience for anyone by revealing details that should be unveiled in their own time. This is book is ridiculous, but heartfelt. It's absurd, but oh so relatable. It’s far-fetched and still you could see yourself in anyone’s shoes.

What I absolutely adored was the way Backman managed to take expectations away from me. At first you’ll think you know what happens next and the next few chapters continue to prove you wrong until you just accept it, stop bracing for plot twists and just get swept away by the beautiful, funny, heart wrenching prose he spun.

I spent the better half of an hour crying before sitting down to write this review and I can honestly say, this is a book I’ll wholeheartedly recommend. And I, for sure, will come back to certain passages over and over again. Especially if I need to feel something. Or everything, all at once.

Leonie

The first, and only, Fredrik Backmann novel I’ve read prior to this one had me howling in laughter, so when I picked up this book on a bookish shopping spree, the blurb promised me a book full of chuckling moments. What I got was much more – including puffy eyes from crying my heart out.

Anxious People meets the reader in a closed-stage environment, breaking out of it chapter by chapter by breaking into the lives of the characters portrayed. Every story counts, every perspective is valid and so much more than a one-sided beef. The author continuously reminds the reader that perspective, intention and motive matter more than actions taken in a split-second decision. Faults, errors and misguided intentions are as much part of life as a lighter offered, a door opened and the occasional fireworks to light up the darkest nights of the year.

Writing a review for this book is hard, because I don’t want to spoil the reading experience for anyone by revealing details that should be unveiled in their own time. This is book is ridiculous, but heartfelt. It's absurd, but oh so relatable. It’s far-fetched and still you could see yourself in anyone’s shoes.

What I absolutely adored was the way Backman managed to take expectations away from me. At first you’ll think you know what happens next and the next few chapters continue to prove you wrong until you just accept it, stop bracing for plot twists and just get swept away by the beautiful, funny, heart wrenching prose he spun.

I spent the better half of an hour crying before sitting down to write this review and I can honestly say, this is a book I’ll wholeheartedly recommend. And I, for sure, will come back to certain passages over and over again. Especially if I need to feel something. Or everything, all at once.

Yashmi Adani

The characters are all foolish but adorable. One of the few books with so much characterisation but would instantly pull you in with empathy and laughter.

Somi Patel

Lovely story. Felt warm. Really enjoyed getting to know this hodgepodge group of people. The copaganda was a bit much for me, but that aside, I liked how they played on expectations and biases.

Andre Bohrer

i put this off for a long time, i need to read it again now that i knew how it will end

jiya ˙ᵕ˙

In a small town in Sweden it appears to be an ordinary day. But look more closely, and you'll see a mysterious masked figure approaching a bank... Two hours later, chaos has descended. A bungled attempted robbery has developed into a hostage situation - and the offender is refusing to communicate their demands to the police. Within the building, fear quickly turns to irritation for the seven strangers trapped inside. If this is to be their last day on earth, shouldn't it be a bit more dramatic? But as the minutes tick by, they begin to suspect that the criminal mastermind holding them hostage might be more in need of rescuing than they are...

The No. 1 New York Times Bestseller from the Author of a Man Called Ove

i might be in the minority here, but i just didn't actually like any of the people here. or the plot. i do not outright hate this book, it was just a miss for me, that's all

Aida Mateescu ⚰︎☽​𓆩𓆪

I'm confused where to begin for this book, just like how I was bemused by reading it. I found myself muttering 'what's this book even about?' (Is this also mystery book in disguise) in the early chapter, maybe that's kind of the direction they're going in the first place.

It was reviewed as funny and witty but guess the attempt didn't reach me, and my impression was everyone is just so obnoxious and infuriating sometimes. 

Sure all the people here serve their own story, and it depicted so many issue, problem, that very much close to ours, and I also fond of the writing that sometimes telling the narrative like some sort of story telling and making us imagine when we are in those scenario, maybe cause this book want us to place ourselves in someone else's shoes. 

Among all I love the Jack and Jim story most, and I still appreciate every messages and life-lesson that this book trying to emphasize.

I'm confused where to begin for this book, just like how I was bemused by reading it. I found myself muttering 'what's this book even about?' (Is this also mystery book in disguise) in the early chapter, maybe that's kind of the direction they're going in the first place.

It was reviewed as funny and witty but guess the attempt didn't reach me, and my impression was everyone is just so obnoxious and infuriating sometimes. 

Sure all the people here serve their own story, and it depicted so many issue, problem, that very much close to ours, and I also fond of the writing that sometimes telling the narrative like some sort of story telling and making us imagine when we are in those scenario, maybe cause this book want us to place ourselves in someone else's shoes. 

Among all I love the Jack and Jim story most, and I still appreciate every messages and life-lesson that this book trying to emphasize.

Beautiful and wholesome, with plenty of unexpected twists. 

Cassandra Tang

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.

This was my first book by Backman, and unfortunately, I ended up disappointed. It started off fun, but turned into a never-ending, repetitive, and unnecessarily long story, only to close with an abrupt ending that conveniently ties everyone together.

If I had to sum it up in a single sentence, I’d say: “This is a story about a bunch of people in a small Swedish town who are either criminals or suicidal.”

Some people accept that they will never be free of their anxiety, they just learn to carry it. She tried to be one of them. She told herself that was why you should always be nice to other people, even idiots, because you never know how heavy their burden is.

Bilge Ince

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.

This was my first book by Backman, and unfortunately, I ended up disappointed. It started off fun, but turned into a never-ending, repetitive, and unnecessarily long story, only to close with an abrupt ending that conveniently ties everyone together.

If I had to sum it up in a single sentence, I’d say: “This is a story about a bunch of people in a small Swedish town who are either criminals or suicidal.”

Some people accept that they will never be free of their anxiety, they just learn to carry it. She tried to be one of them. She told herself that was why you should always be nice to other people, even idiots, because you never know how heavy their burden is.

౨ৎ | “we don’t have a plan, we just do our best to get through the day, because there’ll be another one coming along tomorrow.”

this is my first fredrik backman book and all i can say is why the fuck did i wait so long to pick one up? 

his writing captivated me so much i felt like i was in the book. all his characters felt so real, and so intricate. i loved everything about them. 

and the plot, while it started out slow and i was a tad confused, the more i read the more i fell in love with the story. i was so immersed. 

i just honestly i feel like nothing i say could be able to describe how much i enjoyed this. 

i didn’t expect to cry either but the ending? good lord i sobbed like a fucking baby. 

౨ৎ | “we don’t have a plan, we just do our best to get through the day, because there’ll be another one coming along tomorrow.”

— ★ 5/5

this is my first fredrik backman book and all i can say is why the fuck did i wait so long to pick one up? 

his writing captivated me so much i felt like i was in the book. all his characters felt so real, and so intricate. i loved everything about them. 

and the plot, while it started out slow and i was a tad confused, the more i read the more i fell in love with the story. i was so immersed. 

i just honestly i feel like nothing i say could be able to describe how much i enjoyed this. 

i didn’t expect to cry either but the ending? good lord i sobbed like a fucking baby. 

this was such good time reading, i recommend the audio book because she give an accent to each character and it made it more fun to listen. my favorite chapter is 58. 

debbie <3

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and “writer of astonishing depth” (The Washington Times) comes 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 begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths. First is Zara, a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else until tragedy changed her life. Now, she’s obsessed with visiting open houses to see how ordinary people live—and, perhaps, to set an old wrong to right. Then there’s Roger and Anna-Lena, an Ikea-addicted retired couple who are on a never-ending hunt for fixer-uppers to hide the fact that they don’t know how to fix their own failing marriage. Julia and Ro are a young lesbian couple and soon-to-be parents who are nervous about their chances for a successful life together since they can’t agree on anything. And there’s Estelle, an eighty-year-old woman who has lived long enough to be unimpressed by a masked bank robber waving a gun in her face. And despite the story she tells them all, Estelle hasn’t really come to the apartment to view it for her daughter, and her husband really isn’t outside parking the car. 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. Rich with Fredrik Backman’s “pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature” (Shelf Awareness), Anxious People’s whimsical plot serves up unforgettable insights into the human condition and a gentle reminder to be compassionate to all the anxious people we encounter every day.

Beautiful writing and interwoven storylines

Kirsten Haney

“This story is about a lot of things, but mostly about idiots. So it needs saying from the outset that it’s always very easy to declare that other people are idiots, but only if you forget how idiotically difficult being human is. Especially if you have other people you’re trying to be a reasonably good human being for.”

This quote I think perfectly sums up this book. What a beautiful, heartwarming story. I really couldn’t put it down, I was so hooked. Every single character was so dear to me, I loved them all. The way the story weaves between all of them and gets you to care about each of them and their story is so amazing. The author really handled such a large cast of characters expertly, and I felt the changes of perspective worked really well and nothing felt clunky or annoying. I really liked how everything tied together, I felt a real thrill every time something was revealed and I went “OH!”. So entertaining and very funny, I laughed out loud so many times, sometimes because the joke was funny and sometimes because it was so stupid I had to laugh. A lot of the jokes were really corny, and some lines were trying too hard to be quirky or philosophical I feel, but at the very crux of it it’s just a story about community and the human experience and I love and appreciate it for what it is. The author portrays relationships and love in such a beautifully mundane way, I thought it was perfect.

bel 

“This story is about a lot of things, but mostly about idiots. So it needs saying from the outset that it’s always very easy to declare that other people are idiots, but only if you forget how idiotically difficult being human is. Especially if you have other people you’re trying to be a reasonably good human being for.”

This quote I think perfectly sums up this book. What a beautiful, heartwarming story. I really couldn’t put it down, I was so hooked. Every single character was so dear to me, I loved them all. The way the story weaves between all of them and gets you to care about each of them and their story is so amazing. The author really handled such a large cast of characters expertly, and I felt the changes of perspective worked really well and nothing felt clunky or annoying. I really liked how everything tied together, I felt a real thrill every time something was revealed and I went “OH!”. So entertaining and very funny, I laughed out loud so many times, sometimes because the joke was funny and sometimes because it was so stupid I had to laugh. A lot of the jokes were really corny, and some lines were trying too hard to be quirky or philosophical I feel, but at the very crux of it it’s just a story about community and the human experience and I love and appreciate it for what it is. The author portrays relationships and love in such a beautifully mundane way, I thought it was perfect.

Quirky, funny and altogether a super enjoyable read; mentally playing guess the criminal only for the twist 

victoria lim

What I really loved about this book was that the story is simple but at the same time random and complicated, where the characters are so different from each other but somehow I could relate to each of them. 

Deserves the five stars because it left me feeling.

Ani Velasquez

Cried with the last chapter. 🥲

What I really loved about this book was that the story is simple but at the same time random and complicated, where the characters are so different from each other but somehow I could relate to each of them. 

Deserves the five stars because it left me feeling.

Felt like a bunch of stories all in one and they all connected. Didn't see that ending though. This book was very well written and thought out. Touches a lot of real world stuff people go through. Definitely adding more Backman novels to my tbr.  

Anxious People A Novel

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