Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Title: Anxious People

Author: Fredrik Backman

Release Date: April 25, 2019

Length: 336 pages

Genre: General Fiction

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****My Review****

Backman once again creates a story that has the power to suck the readers in and not let them go even after they finish reading.

Anxious People is a tremendously poignant novel with a dash of humor involving a failed bank robbery resulting in a hostage drama.

To begin with his presentation of different people. People who suffer from a variety of problems and backgrounds. Everyday issues which are seemingly invisible, yet so present in modern times.
Moreover, the mentioned problems are really wide-ranging, giving the readers a chance to relate not only to one but several characters.

The storyline involves a 39-year-old robber who tries to rob a cashless bank by mistake. Not the brightest crayon in the box, right? And instead of getting cash, he bursts into a random apartment, trapping 8 innocent people just before New Year’s Eve. As the two local police officers Jim and Jack start to investigate the hostage situation, the tension starts to build up. A vast number of truths are told, and many secrets are revealed. The hostages will be released eventually, but the robber will suddenly disappear.

After that, the author takes us through a series of witness interviews that make up a good chunk of the novel. That part could have been a bit shortened. Meanwhile, an omniscient narrator who encompasses everything else simultaneously distracts us from the story by throwing a series of philosophical questions. Obviously that served to compel readers to think about our actions and see the bigger picture.

The more we delve into the backgrounds of the characters, the more we discover similarities between them. Some of those revelations will touch us and make us empathize with the stories of the characters we didn’t like at the beginning of the novel. Assumptions that readers made in the beginning were being proven as false as new light comes with every new chapter.

The writing style is rather unusual and rich with many vivid comparisons. It was quickly readable and understandable as well, with some serious dose of emotionality. The characters are so realistically built that I felt as if I knew them in real life.

Backman’s style in this book is full of pleasant, witty humor, and amidst the humor, he manages to insert poignant observations about life and death. There are also references about love and marriage, parenting and divorce, about the social and economic stress. Everyday occurrences are part of our lives.
The main message in this book is, perhaps, compassion and empathy with other people as one of the most important human traits. Every coin has two sides, right?

Anxious People makes even more sense precisely in these turbulent times we live in. Backman acknowledges that we live with pain and sorrow, searching for healthy coping mechanisms to go on. Some of us are successful, others not so much.

If you want to mentally stretch yourself and experience something quirky, heartwarming, and uplifting, pick up Anxious People. You will not regret it.