I am a Fredrik Backman fan, so Anxious People has been on my “want to read” list since I first heard that it was being published. It did not disappoint!! (But you must enjoy Backman’s style of writing to adore this book as much as I did.)
The premise is that a group of strangers attend a real estate apartment open house, suddenly find themselves confronted with a run-away bank robber and end up being held hostage. (Don’t be fooled into thinking this book is a thriller or suspense novel though. It is not!) During the course of the hostage drama, Backman unveils the feelings, flaws and personalities of the hostages, the bank robber and the two policemen who are first on the scene. I laughed out loud several times and also felt sadness and sympathy for several of the characters.
Backman is a master at writing passages that perfectly describe a situation. The writing is often funny, always honest and I found myself rereading passages quite often because they were so “spot on.” The writing may seem confusing at times – partly because we as human beings are very confusing. Anxious People also lets us see that there is good in all of us – and we need each other in order to live a better life. It also emphasized the difference that kindness can make. I loved the uplifting tone in this book and I was so happy that this novel met all of my expectations and more! I hope many of you find the same enjoyment that I did when reading it!!!!
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