The nod to the absurd from the narrator is characteristic of what I've come to expect from Fredrick Backman and I expect if I was in a different headspace, I'd have found it warm and witty, illuminating clever observations on life. Unfortunately I'm just not there at this moment...

In a year when I’ve managed to read more books than ever before, only a few have truly stood out. This is one of those books! Anxious People is such a perfect book. It takes the reader through the full gamut of emotions, with characters that you may start by disliking, but that as the book progresses, you soon grow to love and understand. The plot is simple - a bank robbery gone wrong, and a group of people thrown together in an unplanned hostage situation. But Backman has managed to weave a tale that grabs the heart of the reader and it doesn’t let go until the last few pages. Just brilliant!

“The whole thing is a complicated, unlikely story. Perhaps that’s because what we think stories are about often isn’t what they’re about at all. This, for instance, might not actually be the story of a bank robbery, or an apartment viewing or a hostage drama. Perhaps it isn’t even a story about idiots."

cw: suicide, drug use (alluded to)

This is, as the description states, “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.”.

OK first off, I don't know how to talk about this book without spoiling the joy of reading it. My main point is to read it, and go in as blindly as possible. I really didn't know what to expect from it, having never read any of Backman's previous work, and I was surprised by how the story worked its way inside me.

The writing style throughout is upbeat and carefree, even while many heavy issues are covered. The book made me laugh. The book made me cry. The book made me write down passages to keep aside for myself.

The cast of characters in the story are wonderfully written. Initially I as a reader hated the majority of them, and was at least annoyed by the rest. That hate quickly turned to understanding, and then developed further. There is plot, and it's brilliantly written, but really this is a book about character exploration and how relatable people can become if you get to know them.

I'll also give a mention to the excellent translation – there was one piece of wordplay in particular that I'm pretty sure (according to Google Translate, anyway!) wouldn't have worked in the original Swedish. I can only assume that the credit for adapting it so perfectly into an equivalent English pun was the work of the translator, Neil Smith.

4.5/5, rounded up.

Having loved 'A Man Called Ove' I was really looking forward to reading this one. However, unlike 'Ove' which grabbed me from the start, this was a book I could just read in fits & starts. The story of an apartment viewing, a botched bank robbery, a bridge & a very odd assortment of characters should either be too bizarre to finish or quirky enough to devour- somehow it fell between the two. There are lots of really touching moment, some really funny ones, some just plain silly ones, & some that really leave you checking you've read that right!

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the chance to read & review this book. I gave it a 3.5, but rounded up to 5 for all the lovely bits.

It is a unique reading experience with Fredrik Backman, and it often takes a few chapters to appreciate a special journey is underway. Sometimes the humour and dialogue feel unusual but once into the novel, his turn of phrase becomes entertaining and revealing of the characters.

Anxious People, like the stalled elevator scenario, poses characters that are trapped in a confined location, and as they settle in for a long wait, individual stories of different influences and choices that led them to that moment are intriguingly revealed. A past where backgrounds are unknowingly crossed sets up a future that will be altered over the next few hours. Each person will be compelled to change their relationships and the direction they were travelling.

I am always intrigued by the interpretations and perspectives different people can apply to the same situation. How perspectives can affect how we deal with incidents and how we harbour issues that shape how we deal with future events. Backman serves up compelling observations on human interactions and relationships with an edge of anticipation.

A bank robber attempts to hold-up a cashless bank for exactly six thousand five hundred kronor. The strange behaviour and apparent naivety foster a mystery and deeper anxiety for the bank robber. Even when the bank robber runs into an apartment during a viewing with an estate agent, and holds eight people hostage, our empathy remains with the bank robber. The personal stories unfold with great fascination and sentiment, and we often wonder what the central theme of the novel is.
“The truth? It’s hardly ever as complicated as we think. We just hope it is, because then we feel smarter if we can work it out in advance. This is a story about a bridge, and idiots, and a hostage drama and an apartment viewing. But it’s also a love story. Several, in fact.”
When all hostages are released, the police storm the apartment, but by then it is empty. The mystery is widened when the perspective of two detectives, father and son, Jim and Jack, are introduced and periodically told through their eyes. Each with their own private circumstances and motives that influence how they react.

There is a wonderful wordplay around the fact that this story is based in Sweden and the reference made to Stockholmers – a term formally used to name people from Stockholm, a derogatory term of idiots used by many Swedes outside Stockholm and very aptly a term used in association with a particular Syndrome. It is more than just a word; it is an expression more than it is a place.

Fredrik Backman has his own unique style and if variety appeals to you then slotting in a Backman book every now and again is a wonderful experience. He delivers the novel in an enthralling storytelling manner where he often talks directly to the reader and weaves humour with heartbreak.

I would highly recommend this book and I would like to thank Penguin Michael Joseph UK and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in return for an honest review.

Another book I loved from Backman. I love his writing and style. This one started a bit different than the others, but as I moved on with the story he brought his unique approach and I loved it.
If you like his writing, you'll like this book.
Thanks a lot to nG and the publisher for this copy.

"A bank robbery. A hostage drama. A stairwell full of police officers on their way to storm an apartment. It was easy to get to this point, much easier than you might think. All it took was one single really bad idea.
This story is about a lot of things, but mostly about idiots. "

This has to be one of the best openings to a book ever. Thank you Net Galley and Penguin for allowing me the opportunity to read this book.
I have read many books by Fredik Backman, so was excited to be allowed to read his latest addition to the collection.

From the off set the book begins its humorous account of a bank robbery gone wrong. I mean... It's definitely an opportunity for some hilarious antics and this book doesn't disappoint with that.

The language is wonderful. There are some moments where I literally laughed aloud and giggled all the way through.
Solely in the first chapter, Fredrik compares the knowledge of sex to a usb leads" wrong way round, wrong way round, wrong way round and there! In" as well as the bank robbers mum "consisted of so much gin and tonic that they didn't dare cremate her because of risk of explosion". The book is full of these little gems.

The structure of the book is very disjointed and goes back and forth in time. The writing seems to go off on tangents just as of you were having a conversation with someone who was relaying this tale rather than reading a book, which could make alot of people ... Well anxious.... As the flow of the book isn't smooth transitions and could almost be deemed as frustrating to some.

However, the structure of the book becomes a unique quality. We start to learn more about the individual characters. Again at first all deemed annoying and unlikable in there own rights, but Backman builds on these qualities as and reader sees that first impressions aren't always correct.
Like all his books Backman looks at the characters in a manor that makes us laugh and cry at the same time. Each character is not an "idiot" as the introduction may lead us to believe but actually a spider web of intricately knitted problems that all of us may have encountered at some point in our lives. The bank robber who messes up everything just to pay the rent; Roger who's life is the buying and selling of these apartments to fill a granchildless void, Ro who is missing her father's support and is needing an apartment for her blossoming family with Julie; Zara who's attends viewings because of addiction and routine, Jack and Jim and many other characters. We realise it's more than a bank robbery gone wrong; it's a story about people helping others; chance meetings.

Anxious people was not what I was expecting....it was better.

Fredrik Blackman is one of my favourite authors so I was delighted to have the opportunity to read Anxious People in exchange for an honest review. One of the best things about reading Backman is that every book is different – you never know what to expect, except a good story with great characters. I loved everything about this story: the great cast of eccentric characters, their relationships, the mystery, the humour, and the poignancy.
Definitely one of my favourite books of 2020.

Another fantastic book from Fredrik Backman, I absolutely love these books, they totally suck in and make you feel like the characters are old friends.

5 very well earned stars

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. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can't fix their own marriage. There's a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can't seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment's only bathroom, and you've got the worst group of hostages in the world. 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 motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.

I am a big fan of Backman's books and was so excited to get stuck into this latest offering. I was not disappointed. This has Backman's usual slick, clever writing style that is packed with dark humour and musings about social life and interaction. I was immediately hooked and enticed into this world with it unusual mix of people and to be honest I did not want to leave them behind.

This read presents us with a hostage situation following a bank robbery that went wrong. But is everything as it seems? As usual, Backman teases the truth and slowly reveals what is really going on. This read has so many twists and shocks that electrified the read every time they were unveiled. I just love how you think Backman has laid all the cards on the table and then through clever writing, the plot is spun on its head and you realise the truth was hiding. This is so clever and incredibly addictive to read.

The plot is sensational but the characters in this are fantastic as well. There are quite a lot of characters in this read and Backman ensures they have their moment to shine. All of them are given a backstory, all of them are realistic, believable and likeable. I was not only invested in the plot but in the wonderful characters as well.

'Anxious People' is yet another engrossing, enjoyable and slick read from Backman. I highly recommend this and you will not be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for an advance copy.

I've read a couple of books by this author and liked his writing. This is similar - weird but likeable characters, a slightly odd plotline and an enjoyable read. There are some dark undertones of suicide and loss but overall it's a hopeful story

Fredrik Backman has turned into one of my favourite authors. After reading My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry and Britt-Marie Was Here, when Anxious People popped up I immediately jumped on it. Some credit of course has to go to the translator as well, but I find his writing style easy and whimsical, and then suddenly drops some deeper thoughts. Add some light humour that keeps everything slightly absurd and you end up with a weird mixture, but it works for me!

In Anxious People we follow a bank robber who’s not a bank robber, ending up in a hostage situation that doesn’t really go according to plan either. In the end it’s a story about the interconnectedness of people – if that even is a word – and how a small action or act of kindness can impact someone else’s story. I loved the slow unravelling of the events leading up to the hostage situation, and the history of the people involved, and how it all weaves together.

A recurring theme is the universal struggle – nobody knows exactly what they’re doing. We’re all just making it up as we go along, and hope for the best, even the people who look like they have everything together.

"Anyone can nurture a myth about their life if they have enough manure, so if the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, that’s probably because it’s full of shit."

The writing might not be for everyone – the characters feel a bit like caricatures sometimes, and some of the conversations border on the ridiculous in how… well, silly the characters act. Especially some of the interviews are absurd, and while I think this was meant as humorous, for some readers it may get a bit old. I think if you have liked some of his other books you’ll also enjoy this one!

A final thought – what’s the problem with people from Stockholm?!

It seems that whatever Fredrik Backman writes about, he can make it a compelling read - weather it’s a grumpy old man, ice hockey or failed bank robbery. Maybe it’s because all his books are about real people, their lives, feelings and relationships. Anxious People is another wonderful story, which is poignant and funny, even comical at times; intelligent, heartbreaking and truthful; it made me laugh and it made me cry, but more importantly it made me think and it made me believe. As always, hats off to the brilliant translation by Neil Smith.

I realised a while ago that, without any great fanfare, Fredrik Backman has slipped effortlessly into my short ‘must read whatever they write’ list. It was the Beartown books that did it, but there’s something about Backman’s writing that pierces any armour you might be wearing and cuts straight to the heart of your emotional core.

Not that his books are romantic or soppy, not at all. Rather they are beautifully told portraits of ordinary people, their relationships and insecurities and how those impact on the people around them.

His special power is to draw people we recognise and then show us what lies beneath the surface Doubts, fears, love and losses all come under his gaze in a way that is both warm and compassionate and always makes you think he sees the best in people.

That he can do this with a touch of the absurd and a lot of humour, without laughing at his subjects, is a tribute to the depth and quality of his writing. Backman makes you want to know his characters, to understand them and to laugh with them, and at the same time to understand that their quirks are part of who they are and that knowing that is what makes us human.

In Anxious People Backman gives us a father and son at odds with each other, both in the same Police Department involved in a case where a would-be bank robber inadvertently holds a group of people hostage when the escape route diverts into a real estate apartment viewing, and the viewers and estate agent become the robber’s hostages.

Backman takes these people: two couples, two women a man dressed as a rabbit and the estate agent and as he introduces them and slowly unrolls their stories, they become not the awkward people we first saw them as, but individuals with their own sadness, histories and insecurities.

The genius of Backman is that you don’t get a cloying sweetness. These people are often difficult, sharp and not terribly bright in how they go about living their lives. He tackles some big themes – a fractured society, loneliness and the isolation of modern living – but the way he does that is with a light touch and a lot of wry observation tinged with a touch of the absurd and a lot of humour.

Verdict: A beautifully told story. There is something deeply comforting about showing us that the worst things about people on the surface are driven by their own fears, experiences and insecurities. Somehow, in the midst of this pandemic, that is both hopeful and strangely comforting.

Hilarious, ridiculous humour, rapidly alternating with the tragedy of being a flawed human. It's hard to imagine a novel that can make a reader snort with laughter one moment, then stab you in the heart the next with its observations on life and how we all fail hopelessly and keep stumbling along doing the best we can (even if sometimes our best turns out to be a really bad idea!) But Backman manages to craft a unique combination of farcical humour and tragedy, and make it work astonishingly well. Where else could you find a man dressed in just his underpants and a rabbit head, combined with themes of suicide all in one book?

If you’ve read Backman’s previous books, you’ll recognise his humorous style, but you’ll also find something much deeper, more complex, philosophical and heartfelt here. Especially once you get to the dedications at the end.

Thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I hate having to write this but could not get into this book at all. I requested it because i loved Beartown, however i was a little sceptical as i wasn't a fan of A Man Called Ove, which generally i find people love. I was willing to give this one a go though, however after 30% I had to give it up, The dialogue seemed silly and a little all over the place and I didn't really get into any characters. There was no drama or suspense and no believable purpose in the plot.
I won’t give up on this author because i have enjoyed other titles, but this one wasn't for me!

A robber tries to steal from a cashless bank, and when it all goes wrong he ends up holding a group of people hostage at an apartment viewing. After a standoff the hostages are released but when the police enter the apartment, they can't find the bank robber. The police then conduct interviews with the witnesses.
This locked room mystery is my first novel by Fredrik Backman. The author writes with style and flair about human nature in this philosophical tale that really wreaked havoc with my senses. His character creation was second-to-none as I got to meet the stellar cast, all of whom had anxiety issues and chaotic lives and there were many surprises as they all revealed their hidden truths. Fredrik Backman's storytelling was superb as he homed in on the complexities of human nature and the virtues of kindness, understanding and forgiveness. Anxious People was so touching, laugh-out-loud funny and wildly entertaining, and I have now moved both A Man Called Ove and Bear Town to the top of my reading list. Anxious People is a remarkable, smart, imaginative, and rewarding novel.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Penguin Michael Joseph via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Eccentric characters, quirky narrative. A Backman classic.

So many readers have discovered and fallen in love with Backman's writing and characters. I can happily say that this newest title will not only bring new fans to the Swedish author, but add another favourite to the canon for those already converted.

In a multi-thread account, Backman takes us to a failed bank-robbery-turned-hostage-situation, with the robber, the hostages, the police, a psychiatrist all key players in the narrative, as the absurd situation plays out and we sit back and enjoy the ride Backman has constructed for us.

It sounds like standard 'crime/thriller' territory, but it's anything but. Starting with witness statements at the police station, the released hostages seem a crazy and unhelpful bunch, the police officers slightly unconventional. After all - the hostages were mostly strangers, and at a open house viewing. And the robber/hostage taker? Vanished.

To call this a comedy wouldn't be a lie. Though I have to admit I cried a few times, a few of the characters and their stories hit me hard. I loved how unrelated moments and stories actually did work their way to the main plot. And the pure zaniness of the collective, every character memorable with their own moments in the limelight.

It's a plot I mustn't go into, you'll enjoy it all the more knowing nothing of the characters. I would love to see them on the screen though, chosen well, ideally in the original Swedish.

Some wonderful lines too, made me laugh:
"The bank robber undeniably had a point. Not that this is in any way a defence of bank robbers, but they can have bad days at work, too. Hand on heart, which of us hasn't wanted to pull a gun after talking to a twenty-year-old?"

Backman takes potshots at various groups and 'types', estate agents get a slightly raw deal, young people are savaged. But on the whole, Backman shows us a group of very different people who actually demonstrate humanity, under all the other emotions that fill our busy lives.

Loved it. Highly recommended, one of his best.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing an advance reading copy.

I'm yet to read a book that I haven't loved by Fredrik Backman. Beartown in particular is one of my all time favourite books, so I had high hopes for Anxious People, luckily it completely delivered. A kind of comedy of errors based for the most part around a bank robbery/ hostage situation, with a back story about a suicide from the past and how this has affected different people.  Every single character in this book was brilliant and believable, each having their own individual sense of eccentricity. At its core this  book is about human interaction and being kind to each other, relationships and the fact that you never know what people are dealing with in their own heads and behind closed doors. I really can't recommend this book, which is equal parts hilarious and tender, highly enough. 
I can't think of another writer, whose work is always so drastically different but always equally brilliant.

An unsuccessful bank robbery attempt and hostage situation, with the Worst. Hostages. Ever. This book was hilarious.

But it also wasn't about that. In true Backman style he delivers so much more. It's about the characters, their stories and how the situation they are in affects them. The quirky, snarky and awkward characters not only entertained the hell out me, they also wormed their way into my heart.

A thought provoking, heartfelt and comical novel that will have you laughing out loud and then heartbroken within the space of a few minutes. Superb!