Anxious People

Jesus, Backman can write. He can get right up inside you with the perfect words and manipulate you into feeling exactly what he wants. That bastard.

This book is almost extraordinary. It's almost remarkable. It's almost...

But not quite.

The middle third of this book was a STRUGGLE for me. I almost DNF'd despite really liking the first few chapters. The characters, especially to begin with, are just nonsensical caricatures of people that get in the way of Backman's point that we're all just in it together, trying our best. The psychologist scenes were groanworthy. Why can nobody besides The Sopranos and Hannibal write good psychologists?! Too many things were just unbelievably stupid. All the dialogue the characters were saying felt forced and something that people wouldn't say. When someone points a gun at a man, he is more worried about making a bid on an apartment than on the gun...absolutely not. Such a struggle.

And yet...

At a certain point, the characters click a bit, you understand what Backman is doing, and it all finally works. The ending is great. The message is great. THE WRITING IS GREAT.

I just hope Backman actually talks to a psychologist before writing another one.