Anxious People
Ratings390
Average rating4.3
I absolutely adore this story. These characters are so special and unique and I felt incredibly connected to them and their stories. This book's/author's writing style is really different from what I usually read, and I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. I hope to read more of Backman's work, and now I want pizza.
TW: suicide, gun violence
My second Backman book and I am happy he knows how to start a book with a great first chapter to get the audience's attention! This book was fun and silly, yet covered a topic that arises with many: suicide. The writing is so great that the visuals pop out, and the feelings gripped my heart as the story went on. Personally, I loved Nadia and Zara's relationship and development as the story went on, seeing that they had a rough start. Still, with understanding and building rapport, they came together and understood. Both characters were relatable in their own ways. The audiobook was great, and the narrator did a lovely job of portraying each character, even making the annoying ones very annoying but enjoyable to listen to XD
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters and the story is hilarious and heartwarming.
this book is me coded, i won't go into further details. if i did i would need to go to therapy.
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.
I went into this book knowing nothing about it. Which is why I was quite surprised to quickly learn it was about a bank robbery and hostage situation. This book feels farcical at times, but is ultimately so important. It explores the human psyche through comedy and tragedy simultaneously. I won't go too far into plot because I think going in blind really adds to the experience.
This book is full of hilarious interactions that feel so nonsensical yet so profound. The book is full of contradictions and plot twists and emotion. You really learn that we are all just human, trying to figure out life however we can. No one really has it all figured out. I know this review is confusing, but this book is confusing! I highly recommend it to literally any human being. You'll love it.
Trigger Warnings: discussions of suicide throughout
THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD! I am not typically a fan of character studies, but this really hit the nail on the head. I need a map of how everybody is connected.
Dit boek was zo leuk!! Heel origineel verhaal en grappig geschreven. En het einde
An amazing book. Almost every sentence was a delight to read that I wanted to chew on for hours.
“He was my echo. Everything I do is quieter now,”
It's line like this one that make Frederick Backman a true artist. He is a master of words. Every time I read a book by him, I am impressed by his literary skill. Anxious People is brilliantly written with many other insightful lines that ring so true.
While this is not going to be my favorite Backman book, it still ranks as one of the better books I have read this year. It took me about a third of the book to adjust to the narrative technique. Backman goes back and forth in time and often writes in a second person point of view that takes some getting used to. Once I acclimated to it, it did not impede my enjoyment of the story. The characters also take some time to grow on you. They all seem quite unlikable at the start of the book, to the point of being annoying. I found myself wondering if any of them were going to have redeeming qualities. However, in true Backman style, he develops the characters slowly and exposes their true qualities gradually. In the end, I had changed my mind about most of them.
The plot is very intricate and sometimes to hard to follow, but it seems that is done on purpose. The author wants the reader to be confused along with the police officers. While it frustrated me at time, I appreciated it in the end when everything came together. Backman has a real talent for weaving his story elements together in a complex pattern that somehow, in the end, seems so simple when you look back on it.
Backman does not disappoint. I will continue to read anything he writes, and I feel that other readers should do the same.
Super well-written, made me cry in the eye doctor waiting room. Backman is a great writer, although the dialogue in the first half of the book felt really cringey. It is translated from Swedish so maybe that's why.
Another book cover complaint–why does this cover make it look like a romance... It's about a group of strangers and while there is a slight romance element it is so minor! This book and my previous read, The One by John Marrs, need to merge their cover designs and meet in the middle.
this is incredible.
i don't know what else to say.
i want to cry and hug my mom and all my friends and dance in a field and drink wine and swim in a freezing cold river and watch fireworks.
is that too much to ask?
I listened to The Anxious People - an audiobook read by Marin Ireland, which was very well narrated.
Fantastic, emotional roller coaster. It keeps you hooked throughout the book. Backman is master of storytelling and building complex character arcs and he did it again in this book.
Loved it!
This book was equal parts frustrating and heart-warming. The back and forth dialogue made me anxious so I had to take many Criminal Minds breaks to calm down, (because who isn't soothed by serial killers when Shemar Moore is catching them...) even though the frustration was hilarious. The way every character had their storyline packaged up at the end was beautiful. I love that this book's overall message is that at the end of the day, as long as you have made it through, you've done alright. I also love that it touches on suicide, but does it carefully and offers support at the end. Zara and Estelle were my favorite.
3.5 - this book was a really slow read for me. During the first 3/4 of the book I did not like a single character. I found them all pretentious and just so selfish. I did grow to like them in the end. I liked that everything was intertwined and made sense in the end, but it seemed like a stretch initially reading it.
Characters:
a bank robber who doesn't know what to do and who doesn't know much about robbing banks;
a rich banker who is too busy making money to think about people;
a retired couple who have forgotten why they are together once their children were grown;
a young couple about to have their first child who fight about everything;
an elderly woman who has seen everything and isn't concerned about a gun;
a real estate agent who is frightened of what's going on;
a rabbit.
Setting:
an open house for an apartment for sale, where the bank robber bursts in and takes all the attendees hostage after failing to rob a bank.
Plot:
the unexpectedly interconnected backstories of all the characters.
Rating:
A story filled with both humor and surprising wisdom.
There is something about Backman's writing, something that beautifully captures the essence of ordinary humans. We embark upon a journey as strangers, unable to quite comprehend the characters, confused, seeing them for who they really are, and not mere characters in a book. When it's time for us to let go of the book, we've known the characters like they've been our friends for a while.
Backman's characters come to life for who they are, imperfect beings, yet you love them just the same. Puts into perspective our relationships in real-life. With little snippets of advices, a heart-warming tale, Anxious People also helps build empathy... the fact that we're all trying our best as humans and that there's always more to what meets the eye.
“We need to be allowed to convince ourselves that we're more than the mistakes we made yesterday. That we are all of our next choices, too, all of our tomorrows.”
I am having so much trouble writing this review, because I have been stunned speechless by this book.
I feel like nothing I say will be good enough to praise this book as much as it deserves.
So instead of evaluating and talking about what it is, I'll just talk about my day.
I woke up this morning, I made myself a coffee and casually flipped through this book to see if I could potentially add it to my reading for the week. Then nothing else happened. Because I spent the day reading it. I think I smiled, I know I laughed, and I definitely cried (in the good way, after which you feel like spring rain just washed your soul).
I couldn't love this book more. Thank you for recommending it, mom! ❤️
Gente “idiota” (?)
Do tanto que falaram desse livro, eu esperava algo bem melhor. O plot é OK, os personagens são razoáveis, a narrativa é normal. A primeira metade do livro se arrasta até não poder mais, enquanto que a segunda metade é bem mais agradável e fluída, inclusive me fazendo gostar de alguns poucos personagens.
O humor do livro é típico do que se esperaria de um homem branco de 40 anos: chato, infantil, repetitivo. Ok, eu já entendi que jovens não saem de seu celular, e aí? Já entendi que você gosta de fazed piadas com peido e fezes, e o que mais você tem para oferecer?
Uma das coisas que eh menos gostei no livro é o quão repetitivo ele se torna, inclusive com parágrafos inteiros contando a mesma coisa que já foi contada no capítulo anterior. Isso sem falar que a construção do suspense em torno do assaltante de banco, pelo menos em português, não ficou muito boa e só deixa a revelação meio sem sentido.
Dos personagens, quase nenhum se salva. Os relacionamentos do livro (principalmente da Ro com a Julia) me deixam extremamente desconfortável e o complexo absurdo que esse cara tem de romantizar tudo isso me deixou meio com pé atrás.
Enfim, consegui me divertir em alguns capítulos, mas num geral achei um livro um tanto quanto besta - isso sem falar da irresponsabilidade com como tratou doenças mentais. Ainda tenta esconder isso ao colocar um aviso no final para procurar ajuda.
Não recomendaria o livro, mas também não “desrecomendaria” ele, acho apenas que não é tudo isso que vi falarem por aí.
I feel like this is a book for people who don't read.
Characters are almost like caricatures, always trying to be ‘quirky'. They were quite insufferable most of the time, especially the interview scenes.
Very unrealistic and over the top, with a whole bunch of twists to keep the story going. Felt like watching a sitcom/romcom.
Of course, everything wraps up just perfectly for every single person in the story, they all fall in love and they live happily ever after.
I found "Anxious People" to be a compelling read, especially after struggling to finish "Norwegian Wood" three times. While both novels delve into human emotions and relationships, their approaches differ significantly. "Anxious People" tackles serious subjects like anxiety and loneliness with a much lighter tone. The story centers around a botched bank robbery that evolves into a hostage situation, confining a diverse group of individuals within an apartment. As these strangers are forced to face their fears and secrets, you as a reader, become invested in their lives and genuinely wants the best for them.
The book is a comforting reminder that even in the most chaotic circumstances, people can find solace in one another.