upcarta
  • Sign In
  • Sign Up
  • Explore
  • Search

Anxious People

  • Book
  • Apr 25, 2019
  • #Novel #Fiction
Fredrik Backman
@Backmanland
(Author)
www.goodreads.com
See on Goodreads
4.19/5 109.8k ratings
2 Recommenders
2 Mentions
2 Asks
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and “writer of astonishing depth” (The Washington Times) comes a poignant comedy about a crime that never took plac... Show More

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and “writer of astonishing depth” (The Washington Times) 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.

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.

First is Zara, a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else until tragedy changed her life. Now, she’s obsessed with visiting open houses to see how ordinary people live—and, perhaps, to set an old wrong to right. Then there’s Roger and Anna-Lena, an Ikea-addicted retired couple who are on a never-ending hunt for fixer-uppers to hide the fact that they don’t know how to fix their own failing marriage. Julia and Ro are a young lesbian couple and soon-to-be parents who are nervous about their chances for a successful life together since they can’t agree on anything. And there’s Estelle, an eighty-year-old woman who has lived long enough to be unimpressed by a masked bank robber waving a gun in her face. And despite the story she tells them all, Estelle hasn’t really come to the apartment to view it for her daughter, and her husband really isn’t outside parking the car.

As police surround the premises and television channels broadcast the hostage situation live, the tension mounts and even deeper secrets are slowly revealed. Before long, the robber must decide which is the more terrifying prospect: going out to face the police, or staying in the apartment with this group of impossible people.

Rich with Fredrik Backman’s “pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature” (Shelf Awareness), Anxious People’s whimsical plot serves up unforgettable insights into the human condition and a gentle reminder to be compassionate to all the anxious people we encounter every day.

(From Goodreads)

Show Less

Number of Pages: 336

ISBN: 1982121602

ISBN-13: 9781982121600

Recommend
Post
Save
Complete
Collect
Mentions
See All
Natik Gadzhi @nategadzhi · Nov 27, 2022
  • Answered to What are you reading and would you recommend it?
  • From Twitter
Anxious people was absolute magic 💖
Christine Sweetman @ChristineSweet3 · Jan 1, 2023
  • Answered to What's ONE fiction book you think everyone should read?
  • From Twitter
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman is excellent.
Asks
See All
  • Miles | Peak Performance Coach
    • Ask
    What's ONE fiction book you think everyone should read?
    81 answers
  • Molly White
    • Ask
    What are you reading and would you recommend it?
    42 answers
  • upcarta ©2025
  • Home
  • About
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • @upcarta