Book Review #147: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

When a botched bank robbery turns into a hostage situation, a group of anxious people discover connections that change their lives forever.

Last year I read 'A Man Called Ove' by Backman and absolutely loved it. I wasn't on the lookout for another of his books but when I saw this and read the premise, I had to pick it up.

And again, I absolutely loved this book!

For a start, I loved the way the story was told. The way the narrator spoke directly to the reader is really fun and gets you invested in the story really quickly because you feel like you're involved.

The best thing about the story is the characters. This is entirely a character-driven story and the characters are amazing. They were really fleshed-out, 3 dimensional real people, and they were written so well.

The unexpected connections between them is what makes the story. You make assumptions and think you know things, and then everything you thought completely changes and takes the story to another level.

For a story so character-focussed, it's important that the reader really gets to know all of the characters individually and really understands them, and the writing definitely gives us that.

The dialogue is great too - it's so much fun to learn about the characters through their interactions with each other. As we read about them building relationships with each other, this helps us to build our own relationships with them.

There are a few expertly-written twists that really made my jaw drop, especially because you don't think this is the kind of story that has hidden surprises. It's so much more than you think it is!

I also didn't expect it to be so emotional. That could be because I became so invested in the characters, or because the story went to places I didn't expect, but I was sobbing by the end!

Overall, this is another 5 star Backman book. I've started watching the Netflix adaptation and I will definitely be looking for other Backman books to read!

5/5