review of Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

 Anxious People by Fredrik Backman 

WOW. Just wow. Okay so I'm a first-timer when it comes to Backman (I know!) but holy guacamole, was this a special book. Immediately you're tied into the hilarious writing style of Backman in the first few pages but then you realize that it's not just a comedy (or just a story about idiots) its about grief, death, loneliness, connections, family, and love. and of course, it's about idiots but only just a little. I think I screamed out to my boyfriend ten times during my time reading this story that he had to read this. And the greatest shock for me was w

hen I found myself crying. I don't think I've ever cried during a novel(maybe I don't read enough books with so much punch?) One of my favorite things is slowly watching the different connections that appear. But this book is a much-needed read, you will laugh and you will cry and there is not one point in the story that you can confidently say I know how this will end. 

This is a story that's mostly a vomit of amazing, cynical, and hilarious thoughts thrown on to a page in an artful way. We meet a cast of characters who have found themselves in the middle of a hostage drama and react in such strange ways that you really can't explain until you fully understand who they are. Backman skillfully makes you dislike and love each character at different times while also having you guessing what each person will be like in the end. This is a story about a bank robbery gone wrong, but it's also about a hostage drama, and it's also about idiots but mostly it's about grief and love. 

Stand out quote (I know how could I possibly pick just one????): 

"We're just strangers passing each other, your anxieties briefly brushing against mine as the fibers of our coats touch momentarily on a crowded sidewalk somewhere. We never really know what we do to each other, with each other, for each other." pg 98 

Some questions to ponder: 

1. What is the story really about? 
2. On page 121, Anne - Lena and Jack discuss parenting, what is your opinion on what they discuss? 
3. What is your opinion Anna-Lena before you get her backstory, and how does it differ when you understand who she is? Does your opinion change? 
4. How would you have acted if you have been at this apartment viewing? 
5. What does this story say about anxieties? 

Thanks for stopping by! 

-MDB