Heartfelt and Forgiving: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

H

Series: Standalone

Release Date: April 25, 2019

<strong>Synopsis</strong>
This is 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.

Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers slowly begin opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths.

As police surround the premises and television channels broadcast the hostage situation live, the tension mounts and even deeper secrets are slowly revealed. Before long, the robber must decide which is the more terrifying prospect: going out to face the police or staying in the apartment with this group of impossible people.

<strong>Ending</strong>
HFN
<strong>Representation</strong>
• Lesbian main characters
• FF romance
<strong>Possible Triggers:</strong> Yes
• Suicide
• Suicide ideation
• Threat of gun violence
<strong>Mature Themes</strong>
• Hostage situation (that turns into a comedy of sorts)
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Paperback

Rating: 4.75/5 stars

Anxious People was the first book I read by Fredrik Backman, and after reading it, I completely understand why there is so much hype around his books. Backman is a master of characterization, especially his willingness to unabashedly confront both the good and bad sides of humanity; our greed, selfishness, biases and convictions that we are the hero in the story.

The book did start a bit slow–it began in the police station after the hostage drama took place. Both detectives are pivotal characters in the book and are influential in piecing together what happened to the bank robber after the hostage drama. The reader is slowly fed pieces about the events leading to the hostage drama through police interviews and flashbacks. Therefore, the narrative took a while to get into, but I grew to really enjoy it.

The Not-A-Bank-Robbery Mystery

There were so many twists and turns in Anxious People. What initially starts out as an attempted bank robbery turns into a hostage drama but then transforms into a story about a bridge that somehow connects each of the hostages. It sounds wonky, but the shifting “not-a-bank-robbery” mystery kept me guessing–where did the bank robber disappear to? And the mystery also allowed Backman to unpack the situation’s humanity through his direct address narrative (frequently throughout the book, the narrator speaks directly to the reader). Backman calls onto the reader to really think of what they’re willing to do in the name of the people they love, how fear of losing your loved ones can make people act irrationally and make mistakes.

“But obviously you would still never rob a bank. Of course not.”

Anxious People (pp. 20)

I loved that while the detectives are preoccupied with putting together how the would-be-bank-robber appeared to vanish into thin air after the hostages were let go, the author is carefully building the story to its climax and an even better ending. The author did such an amazing job of introducing seemingly irrelevant information early in the book that had the most dramatic impacts later on. Honestly, I’d argue that every character and scene is much more important than you first imagine. The book wouldn’t have had the impact it did without the author’s fantastic characterizations.

Quirky Characters

I seriously loved every single character in Anxious People! I admit the detectives put me off initially; by the end, I actually grew misty-eyed because of their growth and certain plot twists. Anxious People would not have been as good a book without Backman’s superb characterizations. The fact that the most arrogant and grumpy characters, Zara, was my favourite demonstrates how good Backman is at crafting a three-dimensional character with weaknesses and strengths. Also, it helps that Zara’s personality was so flamboyantly entertaining; she just speaks her mind, which can be really amusing, considering she’s a very wealthy woman who abhors people. (Also, Zara’s rant about mansplaining was so freaking amazing that I was cackling in glee!)

I also loved how Backman used the hostages’ relationships to demonstrate to the reader their unconscious biases (and assumptions). Many times Backman forced me to confront my own incorrect assumptions. And the author took it a step further by having the characters discuss said assumptions out on-page. (I don’t want to go into too much detail about these twists because it would ruin the surprise.)

Themes of Connection and Loneliness

Above all else, Anxious People is a novel about connection and loneliness. The attempted bank robbery turned hostage drama allows for eight people who have been plagued by loneliness (because they are alone or are simply not communicating in their relationships) and forces them to talk and get to know each other. Each character’s backstory is so freaking interesting, and I loved how each of their stories–like in real life–have their ups and downs, their laugh-out-loud moments, their aw moments and their shut up right now moments.

The best part of Anxious People was that despite the despair and loneliness and the plethora of bad decisions people can make, the book really is about hope and the assurance that no matter how bad things are, you are not alone.

In Conclusion

The only reason Anxious People wasn’t a 5-star read was that it took me a while to really get into the book. The narration style and where the book began threw me off in the beginning. Once I became absorbed by the characters and the story they wanted to tell, I quickly became engrossed.

Anxious People was in equal turns laugh-out-loud funny, heartbreaking, sanguine and profound. I finished the book with the biggest grin and a feeling of warmth.

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