Anxious People - Fredrik Backman

There are books that you experience, and there are books that you simply read - and seldom can you predict which type you are about to begin. For me, watching Fredrik Backman’s latest novel, Anxious People, quirkily evolve from what starts out as a farce into a novel with multiple serious messages, was an experience I will not soon forget. The novel is so cleverly constructed that even with several little asides aimed directly at the reader, it remains difficult until relatively near the end to fully appreciate where Backman is headed. Take, for instance, these observations that Backman makes as his story progresses:

     “One single bad idea. That’s all it takes.” – page 2 

     “This is a story about a bank robbery, an apartment viewing, and a hostage drama. But even more it’s a story about idiots. But perhaps not only that.” Page 98 

     “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.” – Page 103 

     “It’s harder than you think to take people hostage when they’re idiots.” – Page 122 

     “The truth? It’s hardly ever as complicated as we think. We just hope it is, because then we can 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.” – Page 215 

What this is, is a story about a bank robbery that never took place, an anxious “bank robber” trying to find a place to hide from the police, an equally anxious and irritable bunch of strangers at an apartment open-house who accidentally become hostages, and a father-son cop duo with plenty of family anxieties of their own with which to deal. And, because this is a Fredrik Backman book, Anxious People is brilliant. 

Fredrik Backman

The best thing about Anxious People is Backman’s cast of characters, each of whom is gifted with the kind of personality quirks that make them individually human and memorable, something that’s become a trademark of Fredrik Backman novels. I’ve read everything of Backman’s that’s been published in the U.S., and it’s his characters that are still most vivid in my mind from the previous novels – especially the way they evolve over the length of his stories. Simply put, Backman has hit another home run. 

The accidental hostages and the incompetent bank robber are not the people they at first seem to be. True, none of them appear to be particularly happy, even the two married couples there, and they obviously don’t trust each other even a little because they see the apartment viewing as some sort of weird competition to see who can negotiate the best purchase price. But now they are stuck together for hours – or who knows how long – and they are going to get to know each other better whether they want to or not. So now what? 

Bottom Line: Anxious People is another in a string of Fredrik Backman winners. It’s a good story about strange, but interesting, people, and you can’t help but root for all of them along the way…even the ones who drive you a little crazy along the way.