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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very cleverly written. Funny at times. Aways deeply insightful.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm really very conflicted. Anxious People is a thrilling and thought-provoking story about humanity and love and loss, all tied up in a bank robbery turned hostage situation. It's a story that will resonate with many people, but I found it frustrating and felt it was trying too hard to be profound at times.
I dragged myself through the first quarter of the book, clinging to the promise of a deep and thought-provoking experience. The first few chapters jump almost chaotically from person to person, revealing just enough information to pique your interest and keep you reading. It's a frustrating experience, like falling into the middle of a detective's investigation board - you can see the string connections leading away from important pieces of information, you just don't know where they end up yet. It does get easier when you can start to piece together the connections, but I did nearly DNF this book a few times.
I'm very conflicted by the characters. Backman creates these characters, exposes all of their flaws, reveals their ugliest side and makes you fall in love with them anyway. By the end of the story, you truly do care for them despite their flaws, but I found it incredibly frustrating how unrealistic they were at times. The story walks a fine line between reality and absurdity. Some of the characters felt more like caricatures, particularly Zara, and some of the absurd and unrealistic reactions of the characters were jarring in a story set firmly in the real world.
Backman weaves a lot of shrewd observations and opinions about life throughout the story, predominantly on parenting and relationships. It makes the story relatable and Backman's lyrical prose means there are so many quotes that can pulled out of this book, but this did feel a little incessant at times, like being drowned in potpourri.
Overall, I did find parts of the book to be thought-provoking and I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot. However, I found reading this book to be a frustrating experience and can't quite bring myself to say I enjoyed it.
I dragged myself through the first quarter of the book, clinging to the promise of a deep and thought-provoking experience. The first few chapters jump almost chaotically from person to person, revealing just enough information to pique your interest and keep you reading. It's a frustrating experience, like falling into the middle of a detective's investigation board - you can see the string connections leading away from important pieces of information, you just don't know where they end up yet. It does get easier when you can start to piece together the connections, but I did nearly DNF this book a few times.
I'm very conflicted by the characters. Backman creates these characters, exposes all of their flaws, reveals their ugliest side and makes you fall in love with them anyway. By the end of the story, you truly do care for them despite their flaws, but I found it incredibly frustrating how unrealistic they were at times. The story walks a fine line between reality and absurdity. Some of the characters felt more like caricatures, particularly Zara, and some of the absurd and unrealistic reactions of the characters were jarring in a story set firmly in the real world
Spoiler
such as the unprofessional police interviews, the hostage's reactions to being taken hostage by an armed criminal, the happily ever after endingBackman weaves a lot of shrewd observations and opinions about life throughout the story, predominantly on parenting and relationships. It makes the story relatable and Backman's lyrical prose means there are so many quotes that can pulled out of this book, but this did feel a little incessant at times, like being drowned in potpourri.
Overall, I did find parts of the book to be thought-provoking and I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot. However, I found reading this book to be a frustrating experience and can't quite bring myself to say I enjoyed it.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes