“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.” ⁣
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Well, I’m really at a loss here. I could never do this novel justice, so I’ll just tell you that I sat in my living room reading chair and I laughed and cried and nodded and shook my head and tried to make this story last as long as I could but, unfortunately, it ended. I think I highlighted about half of it, and choosing one passage to include here was a struggle. ⁣
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ANXIOUS PEOPLE will be in my top three for this year; I already have the other two picked out, as well, and it would take something extremely special to knock any of them from their current spots. This novel was most definitely worth the wait...I don’t know how he continues to write in a way that just seeps into my soul, but I hope he keeps going.

This is recommended on my annual list that receives the most views of all posts every year. https://hungryforgoodbooks.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-annual-list-2020-edition.html

Backman, Fredrik, Anxious People begins slowly when an inept bank robber tries to rob a cashless bank then escapes into a condo and holds those attending a real estate open house hostage. Most of the novel is of the hostages’ conversations that allow them to form a community. It’s an unusual narrative effect that works because it makes the reader care. The droll humor is spot on.

Fredrik Bachman writes emotionally charged books that make you laugh out loud one moment and tear up the next. He is a master storyteller who populates his fast-paced stories with some of the most interesting characters in all of fiction. Anxious People is a beautifully written, book that deserves multiple readings. Highly recommended.

Fredrick Backman does it again! I will admit, I was not the biggest fan of A Man Called Ove or Beartown, but Anxious People was really endearing and made me not only appreciate the characters the more I read about them, but also question my own assumptions of the characters after the author drops a few twists into the story. My favorite character that proved me wrong was Estelle, a crazy women we meet about a quarter of the way into the story who has more to her than meets the eye. Backman also does a good job of making you resonate with the bank robber, the police officers, and the other hostages. I remember having an initial image in my head of this scenario, but my perception changed as I dived further into the book. I can definitely see why it was a runner-up for the 2021 Goodreads Best Fiction book!

I will preface this review by saying this is the fourth book I have read by Fredrik Backman. Although it didn't quite surpass my love of A Man Called Ove - which I consider to be one of my favorite books of all time - it was not that far behind.

Admittedly, I wasn't quite hooked in the beginning. Although the voice was distinctively Backman, it was a tad too repetitive for my taste. However, once it picked up, it picked up.

I love the depth of the characters that Backman writes. Even though his characters seem one way on the surface, underneath, they are nuanced and layered and not always what they appear. I can't think of a single character that I didn't like; even the ones that were grating in the beginning ended up being so much more.

I am also a big fan of the author's writing style, which is why I keep coming back. It's a mix of comedy and insight that leaves me wanting more. I found myself alternatively snorting out loud and highlighting long passages of the book to revisit later.

All-in-all, another 5-star Fredrik Backman book. Not with quite the same panache as A Man Called Ove, but full of a cast of characters that were interesting and relatable

I love this book. It made me laugh and cry and think. The descriptions were amazing and the story lovely. I highly recommend!

Anxious People is my first Backman novel and since closing the cover on it I’ve wondered WHY I haven’t picked one up before now. Fear that he wouldn’t live up to the hype maybe? But I now completely understand why he’s so well loved. I cannot wait to read more from Backman. Thank you @atriabooks for the finished copy and thank you @librofm @simon.audio for the ALC!

Anxious People is witty, clever, and so dang funny! I felt like I was on a carousel going around and around with just a little more information releasing each time. This didn’t turn out AT ALL how I was thinking and wow. It basically boils down to a story about being human and how we’re just doing our best day to day and yet the balance Backman finds between the humor and heavy topics kept my emotions from completely running away. It’s also about a parents love and what we wouldn’t do for our kids. It may or may not also be about a bank robbery 😉 I was reminded of Crash in the way that all of our characters impacted each other with or without knowing it and were somehow all connected. I couldn’t stop talking about this aspect with my husband. These characters are super relatable. You can’t help but root for, laugh and cry with them. Heads up, death and mental illnesses are weaved into each storyline.

I loved Anxious People. I ended up gravitating more towards the audio version. Marin Ireland does a FANTASTIC job!! It is one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to. I can’t fathom how she was able to create such distinct voices for each character. This one is a must listen!

I love Backman's writing, and his latest release is no exception. His storytelling is so unique. If I were given a sample of his writing without his name attached, I think I'd be able to attribute it to him. As with all of his novels, the characters in this one were so vibrant and memorable. When reading Backman, you know that every single person has a story, no matter how long they spend on the page. He's so attuned to humanity, in all its beauty and brokenness. This one took me a few chapters to get into, but I was soon hooked and couldn't put it down. I loved all the foreshadowing and subtle references to the twists and turns to come. It felt like a puzzle slowly falling into place, and I'm So Obsessed With It.

I love the way Fredrik Backman writes. The chapters are very short and it makes it go by quick. I had a hard time getting into this one but halfway through, I was hooked.

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!

Ok guys, I really, really enjoyed this one. I went in having not read the description in detail but just know that I liked the previous books that I've read by Fredrik Backman. I was not disappointed here. This was the goofy entertainment I needed. The book features a cast of bumbling, fumbling cops, hostages and a would-be bank robber. It's the day before New Year's Eve when a masked person walks into a bank in Sweden and passes a note to the teller demanding 6500 kroner. The would-be robber runs into a nearby apartment building and into a unit where an Apartment Viewing is underway. The assorted people at the viewing wind up as hostages.

BUT, this is not some kind of gripping the edge of your seat crime story. It is amusing and humorous. The cast of characters all have their quirks and by the end are all likable. It is also a heartwarming story (as to be expected from Backman).

I highly recommend this one!

The story-line is unique, the characters were unique, the book was wonderful! It was such a refreshing read and a good break from any other genre. Honestly, this book really creates it's own genre and it's like none other! I can't recommend this one enough. Go in blindly - don't read any more reviews! Just take my word for it!

This might be my favorite Backman I've read so far. I just loved the connections in this story--it's not everyday you read a book that is so delightfully funny, but that also makes you burst into tears. Backman's characters are wonderful and so memorable--I wonder if any of them might appear in a future story.

Every Fredrik Backman book is totally different , like the magical realism in My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry but they are all incredibly moving. Another great read about real issue, heavy issues in uplifting and inspirational way that are not preachy or corny.

What a wonderful, amazing read!! On the surface, this novel is about a failed bank robbery, which turns into a hostage situation and then there's an investigation, witness statements, and the mystery of what happened to the bank robber. And then, you really get into the story. Fredrik Backman has this amazing ability to write about emotions, conversations, and experiences through characters that are so genuine, it's hard not to get attached. The whole story is about life, death, and everything in-between. It's the kind of book that sticks with you for days after reading.

A recommended read for anyone who needs a "feel-good", "this-is-life" and "we are all in it together", type of book.

A mystery only Fredrik Backman can write. I kept stopping to highlight quotes. No one unearths the truths buried in the lives of ordinary people like he does. A bank robber holds a group of people hostage. The police interview them after they are released, becoming increasingly frustrated. Where did the bank robber go? Is he hiding in the apartment? The truth becomes evident as each person reveals their personality and the part they had to play in this drama.

I want to start off by saying I am a big fan of Fredrick Backman’s books. This is totally an unpopular opinion, but this was not one of my favorite books by him. I really liked it, I just didn’t love it, like everyone else. I liked the idea of the book, and I enjoyed the interviews with the characters. The writing is great, and the characters are super quirky and weird. I just felt like I was missing out on something the whole time I was reading it. This book is about understanding yourself and others around you. Overall, I thought it was a good book, I just didn’t love it as much as I wanted to. But don’t let this deter you from reading it! I know most people absolutely loved it.

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. 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 a motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next. review: If you have ever read Backman before, you know that his books are quite quirky and clever. I was excited to receive an advanced copy of this book and it didn’t disappoint. At first I had a hard time connecting to the characters in this book, but as the story continued and we learned more about each character, I really enjoyed it. This book is so much more than a bank robbery gone wrong. This book dives deep into human spirit and the need for empathy, human relationships, mental health and connections to each other. Each of the characters are eccentric, complex and so well developed. This book is incredibly witty in the way their stories are told. I’m really glad I stuck with this book and continued to the end because it was a fantastic read and really kept me thinking about humans and how deeply flawed we are but in the most beautiful ways. rating: 5 out of 5 ⭐️

Fredrik Backman has a unique gift. He knows how to bring out the best and worst traits of a human being with insights that are disclosed with such a light touch, that at first, the reader doesn’t realize how profound his message has really become. This novel takes place in Sweden. Because of some of the acknowledgements in the back of the book, it would appear that some of it is based on the biographical material of someone he knows or something that happens in his own life.
When the book begins, the reader learns of a suicide which leaves deep scars on a child witness who, they he tried desperately, he could not save the victim. Over the next decade, that child harbors disappointment in himself for his failure. His life is guided by that incident more than any other. As the child of a non-traditional priest, his mother, and a police officer in a town that needs few police officers, his father, he chooses to go into law enforcement too. Like them, he is motivated by a need to help others; the scar on his memory from the night of the suicide has a great influence on his decision.
Now grown, around 20 years old, he is working on a case with his dad. There has been an attempted bank robbery in their small town at a cashless bank which seems to be a ridiculous idea. The robber, who was desperate for a small amount of money for his rent, has failed to get any because there was none to be had. What kind of a bank robber is this? The robber fled and entered an apartment where there was a real estate open house and takes the house hunters hostage, mainly because they assume that was what the robber intended. The robber had a pistol in his hand. Like the bank, most of these people were cashless too!
When the hostage crisis ends, after some time, although there is no way for the robber to have gotten away, somehow the robber disappears. During the course of the interviews of each of the hostages, the reader is introduced to each character, complete with every possible idiosyncratic trait a human being can exhibit. Each character is explored so insightfully, that the reader will recognize something of each in someone they know, quite possibly themselves. Each of the hostages actively spars with the two officers, and the officers try to maintain their patience as they search out facts. None of them is perfect, you see. The subtle humor is everywhere as they reply glibly and sarcastically to the policemen.
Every angle of society’s ills today is explored with brilliance. Although suicide and the inability for someone to prevent it sometimes, and the desire to prevent it going forward is a major theme in the book, other themes like homophobia, poverty, divorce, crime, drugs, parent/child relationships, spousal relationships, honesty, secrets, fidelity, insecurity, and more are delved into and explored with such a light and gentle hand, that each subject emerges whole and healthy after it is exposed and dissected. In truth, it is a tender, if quirky and corny story sometimes. It works well as it highlights our present day problems and explores ways to understand and deal with them with kindness, compassion, warmth, intelligence and common sense, qualities so absent today in our current political environment, even now in the midst of the most dire circumstances with a President suffering from an illness that kills with abandon.
As the father and son interview the hostages, each and every one of them reveals their own flaws and hostilities and emerges happier and more content. Each learns to accept others with their warts and foibles, and each learns to genuinely care for each other, as well. Everyone makes mistakes. Forgiveness is the lifeblood of relationships. Abandoning someone in need is never an option, nor is cruelty. Finding the power to be courageous and give someone another chance is a gift they all receive as they interact with each other under duress. Each of the characters has something in common; each has had a trauma in their lives that left a permanent, indelible mark. As Backman lays them bare, they grow before the reader’s eyes into real human beings. They learn that although it may seem that there is no light at the end of the tunnel, if tomorrow comes, there just might well be. The idea is to face it and deal with it, not to run from it.
Because of the missing robber, and the two policemen, I wondered if the idea of a Holy Trinity was at work here? For the author, were the father (Jim), the son (Jack), and the holy ghost of suicide victims and other missing loved a symbol of that trio? For the hostages, loneliness, and on some level, the need to feel that there was something out there bigger than ourselves, unseen, not necessarily religion, but ideas like love, compassion and the support of others that can come to us in a variety of ways to help us weather any storm, if only we were willing to let that help in, in whatever form it might take, loomed large as a choice. Confession was monumentally important to free them, not only from the hostage situation, but from a life that felt as if it was a dead end.
Backman has a gift. He makes the extraordinary sound ordinary. With simple sentences that express absolute clarity, he is totally intuitive when it comes to human need, and he expresses it so naturally that the reader doesn’t realize the deep meaning of each sentence until they have moved on a bit, and then, they might turn back and reread a passage that remained in their mind as more than the sum of its parts. Each of his characters comes to life and can be visualized by the reader in appearance and personality, as if they were real. Backman has exposed the underbelly of all society’s ills and tried to cure them. Does he make it? I think so. By emphasizing the positive, by creating characters with alternate lifestyles and personalities, some being more likable than others, Backman leaves the readers possibly willing to try to change their own behavior for the better, to try and interact more successfully and positively with others.
Life is often filled with mistaken perceptions, incorrect knee jerk conclusions, over the top reactions and poor judgment, but it isn’t the end of the world. There is always a tomorrow and things can get better. There is always hope.

This book is a fascinating mix of serious topics and wonderful bits of humor. There are several discussions about suicide, but in the end, this is an incredibly hope-filled story. I tend to read straight through books on a first read with a focus on the overall story, but this one had me frequently pausing to consider individual lines. I also thoroughly enjoyed how the stories of several characters were woven together.