Anxious People

The book is excellent. The cover the pages got everything is very good condition

I remember reading A Man Called Ove in 2017 and being smitten by the author’s writing and imagination. I wonder why I didn’t pick up his other books right after that. Anyway, I came across his latest release and decided to order it then and there because I wanted something light, breezy, funny and I knew this author could deliver that to me in a book. The story is set in a small town of Sweden and revolves around the day before New Year’s Eve. After a failed attempt at bank robbery, there is a hostage drama going on in a flat around which the book is set. Following the lives of a host of characters, we witness their sentiments and anxieties evolving with every scene and incident as the plot unfurls. We see their ups and downs, we hear the pain and happiness echoing in their shaky voices, we look at the smallness of life and the immeasurable nature of it as age or time takes control over self. It was funny and a life affirming book. A book that spoke about kindness, and compassion. It is a novel that stops being fiction and speaks closely to us, not in our ears, but to our hearts; how important and beautiful life can sometimes be, even on the worst days. Yes, I have written down praises of this book but I don’t think it is as good as AMCO. I felt the author was ambitious in this book, with too many characters and too many stories. It left little for me to sit with one character and try to know them closely myself. I felt the author telling me all things about life and I don’t like it when an author does that. It begins to seem like a self-help book and I don’t seek that in fiction. I wanted the author simply to show me what lives do these people live. That’s all. However, I do recommend you this book if you are looking for something light and positive. It will put a smile on your face, for sure.

This was such a gorgeously written story, with such a strong and important message. I'm really struggling to come up with the right words for this review. I don't think this book will ever leave me.The main things I got from this story was love can make you do idiotic things, and you can never surely know what's happening in someone's life and how they really feel unless you talk to one another.All of the characters here bonded over their life stories, choices, differences and similarities and although the situation was strange and stressful, the kindness in these strangers was absolute. I really cant praise this book enough. I think I'm going to have a long lasting book hangover with this one!

How many times do you come across a book that feels like a hot coffee on a chilly evening? How many times do you fall in love with writing by the author just right away when you start reading? And Fredrik Backman is that author for me. Few years back when I read A Man Called Ove, I knew I was going to read all the works by the author but never prioritised it. But after reading ANXIOUS PEOPLE i’m more than sure I am going to cover all his works. Now let’s about the book. Not that I have enough vocabulary to put my thoughts into words.Not that I would be able to convey that feeling here. But still I will give it a try. To talk.Anxious People is the most relatable book I have read so far. The way the author has put light on the mental health issues, what the characters are actually going through inside them. Everything is so beautiful. I don’t think I have come across a book which describes human connection, the effect they have on each other so beautifully. The way he has described how we feel at our lowest, during disappointment, the love for our children, the feeling of despair, grief is something I can never put words to. Even after mention of suicide and the struggles of the character, the book didn’t break me instead it was heartwarming, though I got really sad while reading some of the parts.

Translated from the Swedish. An incompetent bank robber flees into an apartment that is being viewed by prospective buyers and holds them hostage. Nothing is quite as it seems.This is much cleverer than Backman’s bestselling ‘A man called Ove’. This time there’s a mystery to solve, and I liked the twists along the way. I was continually predicting the next one accurately, but not the one after that. The author can be very funny; I laughed aloud several times.He is a bit schmaltzy for my taste, especially in resolving both ‘Ove’ and this one, a bit inclined to gently lecture the reader with homespun philosophy. The book could also be shorter: in places it felt repetitious.Mostly very enjoyable, though, so 4 stars.

Made it to page 140 and gave up. Obviously directly translated from Swedish, clipped short sentences. Difficult read.