Anxious People by Fredrick Backman

 

Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a poignant comedy about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.

On the surface this looks like such a simple book. I was tricked into believing that myself, but the more pages I read the more I realised that this book was anything but simple. I think that the author does this on purpose because it reflects the message that on the surface human beings are all simple, or 'idiots' as he often refers to them! But underneath, we are so so so so complex. Basically this story is about an accidental hostage situation in an apartment viewing where eight individuals find themselves trapped with other 'idiots'. There are two police officers trying to figure out what on earth is happening and how to end this 'dangerous' situation. The chapters switch between the hostages, the bank robber and the police officers while also giving us lots of insight into the characters past and current situations. The author also gives us short chapters about random events that happened in the small town from the past decade which at first are meaningless until the author artistically weaves all of the little details together to create a masterpiece. 

I was honestly blown away!! This book had so many little twists and turns and you were always left wondering what was going to happen next. I would think I knew what was happening, and the next I would be so lost (in the best possible way). The characters were all flawed but so REAL, and the writing was simple but perfect. There were so many messages and beautiful little quotes along the way which inspire you to change your thinking.  The style of the book does take a little bit to get used to, BUT DO NOT GIVE UP!!! It is worth it. I keep thinking about this wonderful story and the characters and recommending this book to everyone who will listen. This is a must read!

“The truth of course is that if people really were as happy as they look on the Internet, they wouldn’t spend so much damn time on the Internet, because no one who’s having a really good day spends half of it taking pictures of themselves. Anyone can nurture a myth about their life if they have enough manure, so if the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, that’s probably because it’s full of crap.”