Anxious People

Fredrik Backman

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.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5) A failed bank robber, 8 hostages, then a lost bank robber and confused cops? I was intrigued!

The first few minutes of this audio describe life so well. Backman has the ability to weave every day examples of life into stories that end up having profound meaning.

I’ve only read 2 of Backman’s books. While I adore his writing, both books had a theme of suicide. They were written so well that my feelings plummeted also. Is that a compliment? Ha, not sure. Because the emotions are very real, so that is a compliment. But I read books for an escape and distraction, feeling those emotions is not what I’m hoping for. 

With that aside, the story was definitely interesting and unique. I liked the life lessons thrown in for each of us to benefit. He makes me feel as if the thoughts and feelings that go through my mind are not unique and there are many out there similar to me. What started out as a failed robbery story, ended up being a story about life, adulting, parenting, difficult decisions, connections, friendship, love, marriage, divorce, and second chances.

Content mentions: minor language (no F words), suicide and thoughts of suicide, a family member with addiction problems, divorce, and two women married and having a child together.

Thank you to Libro.FM and Atria Books for the copy of this audio in exchange for an honest review. This book is out September 8, 2020.

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

3 Comments

  1. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t like Ove so much, he was kind of just casually suicidal and that’s a huge turnoff. This one sounds interedting though

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