Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Feel good book with some subtle undercurrents

Oct 10, 2020

Idiots? A Bridge? A Bank Robbery? A Rabbit? An Apartment For Sale? Second Chances?

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman is about all of these! It’s hard not to get sucked in right away since this book has one of the best beginnings I have ever read. It was laugh out loud funny, and as ridiculous as the exaggeration is in terms of some of the content, you can’t help but find it relatable. The best part of the book is the eclectic group of characters. All seemingly unrelated strangers, who discover that they are more similar than anyone would think. When it all comes together, it creates quite the quote worthy book! I found myself tagging pages throughout.

I loved the little connections between a few of the characters, and the little secrets that different characters held and waited until that perfect moment to reveal themselves. Plus, who can overlook the slap in the face that comes at Chapter 47 when you realize you are as guilty as everyone else in making certain assumptions. It’s interesting the assumptions we make unconsciously by filling in details we think we have but in reality don’t. It’s at that point you go back and flip back through the first 47 chapters full of anxiety, certain that you have missed something only to learn that your assumptions were influenced by the assumptions of the characters, you missed nothing, and this an intentional setup.

From a hostage-crashing rabbit to a secret wine stash, the characters take the hostage situation to learn about themselves and each other. The backstories are both fun, exaggerated and borderline unrealistic, but just logical enough to make it seem slightly plausible. But, this was a book of quotes. By the time I was finished, I had used so many sticky note tabs to mark pages. That’s because this is a book about life, death, the impact of choices we make, the impact we have on others even when we don’t realize it, and as Backman states, it’s “a book about idiots.” And who doesn’t love the plight of idiots.

However, I have seen some mixed reviews about the book. There is a very unique style that may not appeal to everyone. While it is written in 3rd person jumping between the Bank Robber/Hostages and the police officers working the case, there is a very conversational, 2nd person tone. The omnipotent narrator often jumps in and talks to “you,” the reader. While this can be powerful in involving the reader in the story and allowing the reader to feel connected and relate to the feelings and lives of the characters, it may put off others who are just looking to be an outsider just wanting to be told a story. I personally think this is a reason why the book becomes so relatable and humorous.

Life is full of stress, and there are anxieties wherever you look, Anxious People just magnifies them in the lives of these handful of characters, even if at times you are shaking your head because it is unrealistic. I don’t think it was meant to be realistic when it comes to the actual plotline. I think the goal was really to focus on people. To focus on how we may be different, we all still have to move through life which in turn immediately gives everyone something in common. But, with life come daily anxieties, big and small, and anxieties that we carry with us year after year. Everyone has challenges going on right now in their life, and it’s not our place to judge whether or not it’s as serious as what we are going through. I was always told growing up that no matter how bad I thought I had it, someone had it worse than me. This is the serious side of the book; the side that addresses suicide. Suicide is not a focal point of the book per say, but it does impact some actions the characters take. How even strangers can carry anxieties stemming from the same event that occurred 10 years earlier.

If you’ve read some of my other reviews, you’ll know that I like books to end with clear closure. This book gave that to me. However, there were moments during the cleanup of nine different characters that I got a little confused. On moment we were in the present, in the next in the past and in the next in the future; then we’d be with one character and then all of a sudden with another one. Not an overly big deal, but enough to make me go hmmm, what’s going on? a few times.

You never know what someone else is going through until you take the time to care and talk to them. These characters were forced to do just that, I mean what else are you going to do in a hostage situation when you are being held by a really bad bad-guy and are “the worst hostages ever”?

So, which hostage was your favorite?

Zara? Lennart? Jim? Estelle? Julia?

I do have a fondness in my heart for London, not a hostage but a secondary character. But I found Zara to be the most intriguing character. I feel that she was the glue that connected the loose ends between so many of the characters. She was also the most dynamic character, growing the most throughout the course of the story. I liked how her story ends and how she has a positive impact on the ending of a few other characters’ stories.

Where does this book land on my bookshelf?

TOP SHELF! It is definitely a book that I would probably read again. It was engaging, funny, memorable, and relatable. It’s not often that I find a laugh out loud book, one that seems ridiculous on the surface but somehow pulls it out in the end. I would definitely recommend this book. Besides we all have anxieties in our lives, and who doesn’t need a little laughter in their life.

On that note, I will leave you with some of my favorite, fun quotes.

Bank Robber: “It’s maybe more like a hostage situation now! And I’m very sorry about that! I’m having quite a complicated day here!” (pg. 44)

“It’s harder than you might think to take people hostage when they’re idiots.” (pg. 122)

“…that’s the greatest loneliness in the world: when no one is walking beside you toward your destination.” (pg. 205)

** These last two quotes below I adore simply because I can relate. My husband is probably the most hilarious man on the planet (also the most handsome!) **

“You can’t live long with the ones who are only beautiful, Jules. But the funny ones, oh, they last a lifetime!” (pg. 256)

“She can make any child laugh, just like my mom, because their sense of humor hasn’t developed at all since they were nine.” (pg. 258)

Next time you are out and about looking for a new book to read you should definitely pick up Anxious People!

The Bookshelf

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