This is my second book that is written by Fredrik Backman, the other one being A Man Called Ove. I had heard a lot about Anxious People, about how good it is and I have not been let down.
This is one of those books which makes the reader keep on turning the pages wondering what is going to happen next. The story is so well written and thoughtful and that sometimes I was left thinking about how true it is in some places.
So a brief and spoiler free summary – Its a story about a bank robber who tries to rob a bank, in a sleepy town in Sweden, and ends up in failing to execute the plan. However, the robber then runs to a nearby apartment and the apartment viewers get into a hostage situation.
Giving you something more about the story would just ruin the fun and admiration you would have while reading the book.
To be honest, there are quite a lot of things that blew my mind every now and then. And also, as already mentioned, made me wonder about how we live as a society.
Fredrik Backman has done an amazing job in linking and connecting each character with one another in some way or other. This just left me envying this ability of his. With each chapter you get to know more about the characters. Just as you feel like you know something about them or you have this image of theirs formed in your mind, boom, the writer reveals something that just fascinates you, like a magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat.
I guess that none of the characters are wasted or used as extras in the story. Almost each and everyone has been a part of each others life at some point without them knowing about it.
As I started reading the book, I had a very bad view of the characters. As I went on reading, page by page, I started admiring them and thinking about how thoughtfully each character is created. Another skill of the writer I envy.
There were some parts of the story which made me wonder about how true they are. Sometimes they were like harsh slap from reality about how we as a society are. About what we were, what we are and what we will be. It makes you realise about how distant one can be with somethings in life and yet also be so near it.
The story also moves at a pretty good pace. Its also quite humorous at times. There are so many instances in the book where you cannot help but smile about how funny and silly and realistic the characters can be.
The story also speaks about relationships between people. It wonderfully unfolds each characters life. It also speaks about mental health. About how people can help each other by doing the most smallest and mundane things. It shows you how something small can have a huge impact in somebody’s life and how it can bridge the gaps between people.
As the writer rightly puts it, this is a story about idiots.
I don’t think that I could have ended this year with a better book. A very well written and funny book, which makes your mind keep wondering about the smallest of things in life. There’s also Anxious People – Netflix TV show that you could watch, but I would highly recommend you to read the book.
Hope you enjoyed reading this post. Please let me know what you think in the comments below. And if you have read this book, let me know what your thoughts are. Also, please do share this post with the people you know.
You can also read my other posts on Luxury Pens and a review of the book Uzumaki by Junji Ito. You can also follow me on Instagram.