Anxious People; Fredrik Backman
Atria - 9/2020
This is one of those odd, quirky but yet incredibly satisfying books that gave me so much to think about; it even brought a tear to my eyes. I could never write a review that would do this story the praise it deserves, but here's my 2 cents.
In a nutshell, the story opens with a botched bank robbery by a desperate individual who is trying to provide for (2) young children. Unfortunately, the bank chosen is a cashless bank - who knew these types of banks even existed? The robber flees to a heavily attended apartment open house where the attendees now become hostages -- but not really. All of the hostages have issues and motives for attending the open house and are not necessarily interested in buying. There is Estelle an elderly widow, Zara, a wealthy bank executive who has never opened herself up to others, a lesbian couple expecting a first baby, a retired husband an wife who buy and sell properties to avoid dealing with their own issues, a man with a rabbits head costume and underwear locked in the bathroom, plus a father and son police duo who also have issues and who are search for the robber and interview the individual hostages.
The story is quirky, whacky and even puzzling at times. Each of the individuals have issues and anxieties they are struggling with. The story only begins to make sense as you get a deeper understanding of the people involved. The story is deep and thought provoking at times, the writing wonderful. I highlighted so many memorable passages and, I was reminded , once again, how we should never judge a person without knowing what their life and their struggles are all about. Clearly another winner by Fredrik Backman, an author I've enjoyed many times in the past.
Rating - 5/5 stars
(eGalley provided by Atria and Edelweiss for my unbiased review.)
That sounds really good! I wouldn't want to put my money in a cashless bank though, it must disappear.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading this!
ReplyDeleteI just finished a light, fluffy read (on audio) and I'm ready for a well-written and thought-provoking book, so I'll order a copy of this one. Thanks for your honest review, Diane!
ReplyDeleteI liked this one as well, Diane.
ReplyDeleteOdd and quirky -- this sounds sooo good!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to get my hands on this one after your review. When a novel is so good that you find it difficult to review, well, that's a great novel. I've loved all of Backman's previous novels...now my library needs to get this one in the system.
ReplyDeleteSounds really interesting - anxious people - doesn't that describe all of us a little bit these days? I'll watch for it or maybe pick it up on audio.
ReplyDeleteI've only read one Backman novel and it wasn't quirky at all. This sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, so you really enjoyed this one. I have been anxious lately on my own so have not wanted to pick this one up.
ReplyDeleteI love quirky and I've enjoyed Backman in the past. Adding this to my list for sure.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I still haven't read this author. So glad to hear you enjoyed this book and definitely looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteI still haven't read Backman, but this sure sounds like a great place to start!
ReplyDeleteI read Backman's blockbuster A Man Called Ove and loved it, but I haven't read any of his other books. This one might be a good place to start.
ReplyDeleteBTW, what is it with book covers featuring pictures of the backs of one or more characters? It seems that every second book that I look at these days has such a cover. Have the book cover artists suffered an imagination block?
I've got this on my Kindle, not got to it as yet. The one Backman I read I was not that enamoured by it, but am persisting because reviews of the books are so good!
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