Anxious People
An instant #1 New York Times bestseller, the new novel from the author of A Man Called Ove is a “quirky, big-hearted novel….Wry, wise and often laugh-out-loud funny, it’s a wholly original story that delivers pure pleasure” (People).
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Community Reviews
THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD! I am not typically a fan of character studies, but this really hit the nail on the head. I need a map of how everybody is connected.
One day someone decides to rob a bank. The bank in question, however, is a cashless bank, which makes robbing it kind of pointless. Flustered, the bank robber runs across the street and into an apartment building. The first open door is an apartment where there's an open house, so the bank robber accidentally takes everyone there hostage. The hostage situation is resolved with no loss of life, but the bank robber is nowhere to be found. What happened to the bank robber?
First, this is not a riddle. It's the plot of Frederik Backman's new book, and his hands, this story is funny, touching, sad, and generally un-put-downable.
Second, lest you be like me, hear "hostage situation" and think Bel Canto, be warned: this book is not like Bel Canto. It's just as good (Backman and Patchett are two of my absolute favorite authors), but the tone is very different, as is the story itself.
Told in shifting perspectives of the bank robber, various hostages, and two police officers, we get the unfolding story of the investigation in the bank robber's whereabouts, the story of the incident itself, and the backstory of some of the hostages. Put together, it forms a beautiful tapestry of love, loneliness, and hope.
First, this is not a riddle. It's the plot of Frederik Backman's new book, and his hands, this story is funny, touching, sad, and generally un-put-downable.
Second, lest you be like me, hear "hostage situation" and think Bel Canto, be warned: this book is not like Bel Canto. It's just as good (Backman and Patchett are two of my absolute favorite authors), but the tone is very different, as is the story itself.
Told in shifting perspectives of the bank robber, various hostages, and two police officers, we get the unfolding story of the investigation in the bank robber's whereabouts, the story of the incident itself, and the backstory of some of the hostages. Put together, it forms a beautiful tapestry of love, loneliness, and hope.
I was really torn on what to rate this book.
I won’t lie, I had a terrible time getting into it in the beginning. Mostly because the characters drove me crazy! (Even though I was warned that this book was indeed about idiots.) BUT it all made sense in the end. It definitely wasn’t the book I was expecting but I decided to go with 4 stars because the book really does have some valuable lessons within it. The last couple chapters really made me happy and it was nice to hear some of the things that were said, it makes you feel like you’re not alone in this world!
I’m a bit conflicted. Portions of this deserve 5 stars. The majority 4 stars, and then some just 3. It certainly makes you think about how life is, but sometimes I felt that the author tried to cram in as many deep thoughts as possible which is why I’m so conflicted. Not every single sentence needed to be laced with depth.
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