Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - Anxious People

I can’t even begin to describe how much I loved this. It is truly a work of art that made me tear up, my heart ache, but also laugh out loud.

The plot itself is a story about a failed bank robbery turned hostage situation, all the events that lead up to it, and what occurs during and after it. It’s told with time jumps and some unreliable 3rd person narration that only adds to the twists and drama as we uncover the ‘mystery.’ But the true gem is the story Backman weaves of the human condition, of the hurts and hardships many face but fail to ever talk or admit. It’s a story about real love, compassion, forgiveness, failure, and redemption, about the depth we all truly share with one another and the ways in which we can impact others’ lives.

There were 10+ significant characters in this story, but I never got them confused or forgot who was who. They all felt well rounded and incredibly developed, but also flawed in a way that so inexplicably human. I rooted for them all despite their many flaws. The author never tried to make the reader forgive or overlook the characters’ mistakes either, he simply made the other parts of them redeemable.

I listened to the audiobook and Marin Ireland did an amazing job at bringing the story to life, I couldn’t stop listening at one point. I will 100% be getting the physical copy of this book to own and markup, because for the first time in my life I feel truly compelled to reread something (or re-consume it in this case).

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scmiller's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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haileyhardcover's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Anxious People is a story about a bank robbery. No, it’s a hostage drama. No, it’s about a bridge. No, wait, a rabbit? No… No. It’s a story about idiots.

In truth, Anxious People is about desperation, grief, mental health, greed, the housing market, purpose, loneliness, parenting, marriage, hope, connection, love, Stockholm… It’s a fascinating exploration into being human.

It’s also part mystery that will keep you hooked until the very end! When I tell you I could not put this book down, I mean it. HOOKED. It had me in an absolute fucking chokehold all the way through. I gasped, I screamed, at one point I closed the book and beat it against my couch because I was so mad that I missed something so obvious… lol It also has so much heart, and such endearing (and frustrating and hilarious and idiotic) characters. I wiped away lone tears, I laughed out loud, snorted, and fully broke down sobbing…. several times… just within the last 25 pages. 🥲

No one can craft a story like Fredrik Backman. No one captures the messy magic of humans like him. No one else can weave so many seemly disconnected stories together into an absolute masterpiece, and tie them all together flawlessly.

I didn’t think it was possible, but Anxious People has unseated My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry as my favorite book. Backman remains my favorite author for a reason. The man is undefeated.

A quote on the back from USA Today sums up Anxious People perfectly: “Hits the sweet spot between profoundly insightful and preposterously funny… I hugged this book tightly with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes.”

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katieb1034's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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fantaiil's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Fredrik Bakmann is and will always be my favourite author. And this is his best one yet (in my opinion).
I love his words, his characters and how he makes me cry while talking about humans and their inability of saying, what they want to say.

This book is about love, despair, kids, dumb choices, pizza, love, marriage, kids and their parents, money, capitalism, love and a bridge. It's about the connection between people and the irrational things we do, when we feel emotions that are to big to describe.

Backman is a magician. A magician of words and sentences and making one feel and cry and laugh and feel once again.

I wish, I could buy this book a thousand times and gift it to everyone I know.

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emilylovesgoodbooks's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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