Wow, what a gem of a book! After a rather rocky start to my reading year, I'm so delighted to have picked up ANXIOUS PEOPLE. It's my first book by Frederik Backman, but it certainly won't be the last! This novel combines humour with deep emotional insights, making it an absolute standout.

Backman excels in delivering sharp wit throughout the narrative. His humor is well-timed and effective (I genuinely burst out laughing a few times), providing a delightful contrast to the more serious themes within the story. The plot twists are clever, surprising, and satisfying. The revelations about the characters are so engaging that they manage to add layers upon layers to the tale as it unfolds.

One of the most compelling aspects of Anxious People is its emotional range. From laughter to sorrow, Backman expertly explores his characters' experiences, making the story both moving and memorable. Backman's insightful observations on the human condition are also woven throughout the book. I was highlighting gleefully as I read! I can't wait to pick up another book by Backman. I'm delighted to have found a new favorite author. ( )

A good book, not a great book, mainly because reading Anxious People made me, well, anxious. I was quite impressed by how the author could draw in so many quasi-main characters (11 all toll) and not lose me. That is true artistry.

I have read another Backman book, and it was an over-the-top winner. Unfortunately, it may have set an unrealistic bar, leaving Anxious People reaching in vain.

When a bank robber botches their first attempt at such, trying to rob a cashless bank, they run across the street, up the stairs, and into an open apartment in the middle of an open house. The robber, also unskilled at taking hostages, ends up with 8 of them: two married couples, one of whom was pregnant, an executive, a real estate agent, an elderly woman, and a man in a rabbit costume who was hired as an open house spoiler.

Throughout the book, Backman gives snippets of backstory for the characters and the two policemen who try to solve several mysteries during the book, including those of their family dynamic.

There are some endearing moments in the book when the least likely of the hostages end up consoling or befriending each other, and the book ends with a surprisingly sweet twist (or two) that leaves everyone in a happy and good place.

I still could have taken or left the book with all of this going on. I actually had to work at finishing it, not because it was dreadful, but more because it felt lackluster. Again, this may be because I was so over the moon with expectations due to my previous Backman read.
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Good book. A bit sad and hit a few nerves. The ending was beautiful. ( )

If I could give this book 100 stars I would, it made me laugh, it made me cry, it had me guessing. This is heartfelt and anyone and everyone could relate. I love this book so much I would recommend it to the world, it should be part of the reading curriculum in schools and even if you hate reading, you should read this book. Fredrik touched on issues so many of us go through and others don't even think twice about. If you have not read this book pick it up and if you are into audiobooks listen to the audiobook, I listened to the audiobook as well and oh man, talk about getting then Way to the lives of these characters was just perfect. Absolutely loved this book. ( )

2024-02-22: I haven't finished the first chapter and it's already impressed me with diagnosis of the human condition and the humor used in the diagnosis. My second Backman book and he's pushing everything else off the to-read list.

2024-02-25: I'm at 52% and have I've gone ahead and given it five stars. I hated the bits with Zara because she's a dipshit but this book is hilarious and full of improbable twists and turns and I'm still willing to accept because they're funny and not outrageous. At the same time he's got a great grip on the human condition. And so many great lines.

2024-02-26: The advanced 5-star rating was incorrect but a 6th star is not available. Do I need to downgrade A Man Called Ove in order to indicate the difference?

This was excellent, read it now and learn things. And then that finish! He hit the perfect ending over and over. You'd think it was done and then turn the page to find there was another chapter. And another, and another. ( )

Mr. Backman does it again with a curious little tale of a bank robbery gone wrong - and yet does it? I love how the author can take difficult situations or characters and then show how basic human goodness makes all the difference in the lives of people who feel desperate. Two thumbs up! ( )

Such a quirky lovely book with so much heart. I enjoyed how the author played with us while developing his characters, not drawing straight lines at all, but pulling it all together so beautifully. I look forward to reading his other books, but now I have such high expectations that I hope I will be as equally enchanted with them as with this one. ( )

This is the best book I have read in quite a while. I loved the characters and the story. I think everyone should be able to relate to the people are idiots theme. It's a wonderful thing when a series of bad decisions yields such lovely results. I'll definitely look for more books by this author. ( )

This is not a story about apartment viewing, a bank robbery, a suicide, love, or even the crime that all occurred in the book. This is about life. Story of living and how life and even the mere thought of breathing another day hurts. What parents feel and how children can never truly hate those who borne them into this world. This might be a fiction book, but it might be as well be nonfiction. It's thought-provoking and teaches the readers lesson about what it means to be a human through the eyes of various characters. And the characters, I've never met such lovable characters before. They were funny, annoying, odd, and arrogant, but all in all, they make this story great and hard to forget. I find myself sad and melancholy and laughing the next second. This is truly a very memorable read. If you think what I said is intriguing, then it is! ( )

Another unusual, but good story of a group of people that get caught up in a bank robbery gone wrong, while looking at an apartment for sale. We learn how all of the characters are anxious in their own ways.Kirkus: Eight people become unlikely friends during a hostage situation created by an inept bank robber.In a town in Sweden, a desperate parent turns to bank robbery to help pay the rent. Unfortunately, the target turns out to be a cashless bank, which means that no robbery can take place. In an attempt to flee the police, the would-be perpetrator runs into a nearby apartment building and interrupts an open house, causing the would-be buyers to assume they're being held hostage. After the situation has ended with an absent bank robber and blood on the carpet, a father-and-son police pair work through maddening interviews with the witnesses: the ridiculous realtor; an older couple who renovates and sells apartments in an effort to stay busy; a bickering young couple expecting their first child; a well-off woman interested only in the view from the balcony of a significant bridge in her life; an elderly woman missing her husband as New Year?s Eve approaches; and, absurdly, an actor dressed as a rabbit hired to disrupt the showing and drive down the apartment price. Backman?s latest novel focuses on how a shared event can change the course of multiple people?s lives even in times of deep and ongoing anxiousness. The observer/narrator is winding and given to tangents and, in early moments, might distract a bit too much from the strongly drawn characters. But the story gains energy and sureness as it develops, resulting in moments of insight and connection between its numerous amiable characters.A story with both comedy and heartbreak sure to please Backman fans.

Another novel of quirky characters that grow on you as they move in focus from two to three dimensional lives. I really enjoy the authors insights into people and their lives with a touch of humor. We really are idiots at heart doing the best we can. ( )

Classic Backman. Interesting people, crazy events. Well worth the read. ( )

kinda hokey, but charming ( )

The writing style took a bit of getting used to - the first 20% of the book just felt like rambling to me. But then the first twist came about around 60% and a lot of things previously mentioned no longer made sense. I felt outright deceived by the author. The characters and "narration" if you can call it that we're brilliant. ( )

I enjoyed the structure and the story itself but I could have done without all the bloody philosophizing. I'm not reading any more Backman no matter how many people tell me to. ( )

Such a winsome story about a singularly likeable group of people, even if they include a quarrelling couple, and incompetent real estate agent, a mysterious senior lady, to say nothing of the bank robber. And the police officer father/son duo who are trying to investigate the ‘crime’.
The links and story twists are enchanting- I long to be able to write this way- but the reader needs to be aware that suicide is part of the discussion. This book will make you laugh and cry and feel all of the feels. Worth every one, but have the tissues handy. ( )

I'll say that this book started out to be a pretty frustrating read, but somewhere along the way Backman pushed a few buttons and everything just clicked for me. Lovely characters, great humor, a heartwarming story, and an overall fun read! ( )

Hard not to be charmed ( )

This was an interesting story, different from anything else I recall reading. It was my first taste of Fredrick Backman's writing. I will say, he is gifted at his craft. Here's the truth: I loved the book, and I didn't. It was a mildly-confusing experience trying to follow the developing story, but in the end, it was obvious that the book was meant to read that way, like a puzzle being put together piece by piece without real awareness of the final picture. The author jumps from past to present to future while switching between multiple characters, slowly revealing how their lives and the plot fit together. When I initially began reading the book, I found it amusing, and I quickly got the impression I would be laughing through every chapter. I will admit, I was disappointed to find the story took on more serious and sad tones as the book progressed. It is a heartfelt account about how hard life is. . . for everyone, but more importantly, how each life affects so many others without our awareness. It is a worthwhile read, but expect to shed a tear or two. ( )

In a small town in Sweden on the day before New Year’s Eve, a masked person enters a bank intent on stealing exactly one month’s rent. In the throes of a nasty divorce, the bank robber just needs enough money to win a custody battle. However, the theft does not go as planned and the robber quickly retreats to a nearby apartment building, where a group of about a half-dozen people are gathered to view an apartment being offered for sale. Desperate to evade the police, the robber takes the viewers hostage, which sets up an extended standoff and a chance for everyone to get to know one another better. The police investigation is led by a father and son team, both of whom have different personal issues to work through: the father grieves the death of his wife and the inability to save his drug-addicted daughter, while the son is haunted by his failure as a young boy to prevent a man from committing suicide. When the standoff ends and the hostages are released unharmed, the bank robber is nowhere to be seen and seems to have disappeared into thin air. Can the police find the robber and will everyone involved be able to solve their personal problems?

While there is nothing remotely humorous in that summary of Anxious People, Fredrik Backman’s tale of human connections and inner demons, the novel is frequently quite funny. The plot is reasonably intricate as the backstories of most of the main characters are interspersed with current events, but it is cleverly constructed and, for the most part, very engaging. The author made an interesting stylistic choice in telling the story with a third-person narrator who often speaks directly to the reader, which has the effect of drawing us into the action. Although the central mystery in the book—the identity and post-standoff location of the bank robber—drives much of the action in the first three-quarters of the book, the answers to those secrets are signaled well before they are finally revealed. At that point, the author’s apparent real intention in writing the novel becomes clear as the story veers into examining a variety of social and human topics, such as the nature of loneliness and compassion, the tragedy of suicide, mental illness and substance abuse, and the evils of the capitalist economic system. Some of these explorations make sense in the context of the plot, but others are forced to the point of being a distraction. Despite that shortcoming, though, this was an enjoyable book to read. ( )

I enjoyed Anxious People as I have all of Fredrik Backman's books (I'm almost finished with The Winners). It was clever the way he threw all these strangers together in a situation that invited them to share their anxieties with each other. Of course, Stockholm Syndrome came immediately to mind when they began to identify with their "captor," but the presumed hostage taker/bank robber was presented as a very sympathetic character that even the policeman had compassion for and ultimately helped to escape. I was intrigued by how the narrator labeled all the anxious people "idiots." In the beginning that characterization seemed to indicate desperate people who took misguided or foolish actions, like robbing a bank or attempting suicide, but later in the book they were also labeled "idiots" when they began to believe they could change and overcome their anxieties. Throughout the book, the narrator takes a major role in posing philosophical questions and forcing us to question our assumptions of good and bad people. Most are just doing the best they can with what they've been given, and they need our compassion rather than judgement.

We all assumed the bank robber was a man until reading otherwise, wondered why there was no realtor present at the open house . . . loved the police interviews with the "hostages", interesting how the people changed the more you got to know them, esp. Gerald and his wife. I could go on and on but you get the idea. The most interesting thing was we had all reached the same theme, on our own, that the bridge was the main character. ( )

Another gem by Fredrik Backman. He has the ability to churn out heartwarming stories without being formulaic. Here, it is a reminder to be kind. You don't know what people are facing in their lives, but a kind word or gesture could make somebody's day. USA Today says it best - "it is about how kindness and compassion count so much in surviving each day – a lesson for our times". And like many of Backman's other books, he brings out the message that there are stories in all our lives, and looks can be very deceiving. Anna-Lena has not always been the diffident and subservient wife, Zara the arrogant banker lives in fear of what the letter might reveal, and the bank robber had a happy family. Undoubtedly a 5-star read, which could have been even better had the ending been more swift. The main plot has already ended but Backman continued to elucidate on the theme of 'anxious people', which made the ending rather protracted and boring. ( )

I enjoyed the plot but I wasn't a big fan of how it all played out. At the beginning it was funny but then as it kept going it just slowly started becoming boring to me. It does have a good lesson with it but it takes a while for it to reach that point. ( )

It was cute. His writing style is witty and intelligent.

There was a moment when I had a hard time getting into it. There was a moment where I couldn’t put it down. There was a moment where I contemplated throwing it down, and then at the end where I felt everything at once, shedding a tear. ( )