“Sometimes it hurts, it really hurts, for no other reason for no other reason than the fact our skin doesn’t feel like it’s ours, Sometimes we panic, because the bills need paying and we have to be grown-up and we don’t know how, because it’s so horribly, desperately easily to fail at being grown-up.”
With gorgeous writing, funny and relatable characters, and a story that will pull on your heartstrings (as well as make you considers things you may never have before) this ticked all my boxes. Backman is once again triumphant in my eyes and it is sad to think I’ve almost finished reading all of his books…
With gorgeous writing, funny and relatable characters, and a story that will pull on your heartstrings (as well as make you considers things you may never have before) this ticked all my boxes. Backman is once again triumphant in my eyes and it is sad to think I’ve almost finished reading all of his books…
This easily had all the charm of A Man Called Ove with the depth of Beartown – I honestly lapped it up. With a cast of characters from all walks of life, we get to know each one as well as the robber themselves. But their perspectives and experiences form a melting pot of the human experience and made for truly a compelling and beautiful story.
I’ve never been to Sweden, nor met anyone Swedish but what strikes me most (in Anxious People especially) is how British the comedy of Backman’s narratives feel. It’s witty, dry, and deadpan in places and I think being British myself, I could appreciate this tone a lot! It also makes it very easy to fall in love with pretty much all of the characters because they have so much charisma and charm.
9.3Quirky, Relatable, Funny
Review overview
CHARACTERS9.5
QUOTABILITY9.5
Summary
Having adored so many of Backman’s books (A Man Called Ove, Beartown, Us Against You) I was ready to dive straight in and fall head over heels for another one! Anxious People is about a bumbling bank robber who accidentally takes a flat of people hostage. When the police get there, the hostages are set free but the robber is nowhere to be seen. What follows is an investigation to find out who the robber is and where they’ve gone, and a set of interviews from all the witnesses which might turn out to be more unhelpful than helpful…
