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starcrossedstacks 's review for:
Anxious People
by Fredrik Backman
"ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ɪꜱ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴍᴏꜱᴛʟʏ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ɪᴅɪᴏᴛꜱ. ꜱᴏ ɪᴛ ɴᴇᴇᴅꜱ ꜱᴀʏɪɴɢ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴜᴛꜱᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴇᴀꜱʏ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇᴄʟᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ɪᴅɪᴏᴛꜱ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴏɴʟʏ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴏʀɢᴇᴛ ʜᴏᴡ ɪᴅɪᴏᴛɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ ᴅɪꜰꜰɪᴄᴜʟᴛ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ɪꜱ."
This is my first Backman book, and the tone was totally unexpected to me. I happily devoured both the humorous and sometimes so poignant it hurts lines. I was continuously shocked at how nonchalantly the author just tosses some of the most critical information at the reader offhandedly, as if since it wasn't a core part of the character, it was just a random additional fact that had to be added in.
One thing in particular that struck me was some of the descriptions -
"ʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇꜱꜱᴇꜱ ʜɪꜱ ᴛʜᴜᴍʙꜱ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ʜɪꜱ ᴇʏᴇʙʀᴏᴡꜱ, ᴀꜱ ɪꜰ ʜᴇ ʜᴏᴘᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴇʏ'ʀᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ʙᴜᴛᴛᴏɴꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ɪꜰ ʜᴇ ᴋᴇᴇᴘꜱ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴘʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴍᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛᴇɴ ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅꜱ ʜᴇ'ʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇꜱᴛᴏʀᴇ ʟɪꜰᴇ ᴛᴏ ɪᴛꜱ ꜰᴀᴄᴛᴏʀʏ ꜱᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢꜱ" I mean, hell yeah. Same. Relatable.
Depending on who is reading, I could see the tone and some of the topics coming off as preachy, but some of them were really good hits for me. For example, nurturing myths about our lives online and the pressure for every day to be "Instagram worthy" isn't revolutionary, but he pulls the idea apart in just a slightly new enough way for me to appreciate the take again.
The twists made me feel dumb in a clever way, but maybe I'm just an idiot for not seeing them sooner (perfectly on topic for this book). Parts of it made me cry. Sometimes because I was taking emotional damage, sometimes because I was happy.
This is a book with a puzzle, but more than anything, it is a book about wild characters that ask us to look at ourselves and others through a new lens.
Quotes:
"ᴡᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀʟʟᴏᴡᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴠɪɴᴄᴇ ᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟᴠᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪꜱᴛᴀᴋᴇꜱ ᴡᴇ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʏᴇꜱᴛᴇʀᴅᴀʏ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴏꜰ ᴏᴜʀ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇꜱ, ᴛᴏᴏ, ᴀʟʟ ᴏꜰ ᴏᴜʀ ᴛᴏᴍᴏʀʀᴏᴡꜱ."
"ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ. ɴᴏ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴏɴᴇ ʙɪᴛ ᴀᴛ ᴀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ. ꜱᴏ ᴡᴇ ᴅᴏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴡʜᴇɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴡᴇ ɢᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ, ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ. ᴡᴇ ꜱᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ. ᴡᴇ ᴅᴏ ᴏᴜʀ ʙᴇꜱᴛ. ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴡᴇ ᴛʀʏ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴀ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴠɪɴᴄᴇ ᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟᴠᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ… ʙᴇ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ. ꜱᴏ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴀɪʟᴜʀᴇꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴅʀᴏᴡɴɪɴɢ."
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5
This is my first Backman book, and the tone was totally unexpected to me. I happily devoured both the humorous and sometimes so poignant it hurts lines. I was continuously shocked at how nonchalantly the author just tosses some of the most critical information at the reader offhandedly, as if since it wasn't a core part of the character, it was just a random additional fact that had to be added in.
One thing in particular that struck me was some of the descriptions -
"ʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇꜱꜱᴇꜱ ʜɪꜱ ᴛʜᴜᴍʙꜱ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ʜɪꜱ ᴇʏᴇʙʀᴏᴡꜱ, ᴀꜱ ɪꜰ ʜᴇ ʜᴏᴘᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴇʏ'ʀᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ʙᴜᴛᴛᴏɴꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ɪꜰ ʜᴇ ᴋᴇᴇᴘꜱ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴘʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴍᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛᴇɴ ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅꜱ ʜᴇ'ʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇꜱᴛᴏʀᴇ ʟɪꜰᴇ ᴛᴏ ɪᴛꜱ ꜰᴀᴄᴛᴏʀʏ ꜱᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢꜱ" I mean, hell yeah. Same. Relatable.
Depending on who is reading, I could see the tone and some of the topics coming off as preachy, but some of them were really good hits for me. For example, nurturing myths about our lives online and the pressure for every day to be "Instagram worthy" isn't revolutionary, but he pulls the idea apart in just a slightly new enough way for me to appreciate the take again.
The twists made me feel dumb in a clever way, but maybe I'm just an idiot for not seeing them sooner (perfectly on topic for this book). Parts of it made me cry. Sometimes because I was taking emotional damage, sometimes because I was happy.
This is a book with a puzzle, but more than anything, it is a book about wild characters that ask us to look at ourselves and others through a new lens.
Quotes:
"ᴡᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀʟʟᴏᴡᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴠɪɴᴄᴇ ᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟᴠᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪꜱᴛᴀᴋᴇꜱ ᴡᴇ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʏᴇꜱᴛᴇʀᴅᴀʏ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴏꜰ ᴏᴜʀ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇꜱ, ᴛᴏᴏ, ᴀʟʟ ᴏꜰ ᴏᴜʀ ᴛᴏᴍᴏʀʀᴏᴡꜱ."
"ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ. ɴᴏ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴏɴᴇ ʙɪᴛ ᴀᴛ ᴀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ. ꜱᴏ ᴡᴇ ᴅᴏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴡʜᴇɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴡᴇ ɢᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ, ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ. ᴡᴇ ꜱᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ. ᴡᴇ ᴅᴏ ᴏᴜʀ ʙᴇꜱᴛ. ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴡᴇ ᴛʀʏ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴀ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴠɪɴᴄᴇ ᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟᴠᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ… ʙᴇ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ. ꜱᴏ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴀɪʟᴜʀᴇꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴅʀᴏᴡɴɪɴɢ."
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5