V171 recenzis Anxious People de Fredrik Backman
Predictable and sickly sweet, but maybe that's what I needed in Jan 2026
4 steloj
Another book I forgot to write a review for until 5 months later... I will be phoning it in.
A desperate criminal tries to rob a bank, but given that most banks don't even have money these days, tries to escape into a nearby apartment building, and happens to enter an apartment that is being shown to potential buyers. A strange cast of characters, we have an older couple who find and flips homes to make a profit loudly complaining about every little thing to try and get the price down, a lesbian couple looking to buy their first home before one of them pops from her pregnancy, a strange, stoic bank executive who seems out of place but has still taken an interest in the property, an equally strange old woman content with meeting all of these new people, and the silly real estate agent who doesn't seem to …
Another book I forgot to write a review for until 5 months later... I will be phoning it in.
A desperate criminal tries to rob a bank, but given that most banks don't even have money these days, tries to escape into a nearby apartment building, and happens to enter an apartment that is being shown to potential buyers. A strange cast of characters, we have an older couple who find and flips homes to make a profit loudly complaining about every little thing to try and get the price down, a lesbian couple looking to buy their first home before one of them pops from her pregnancy, a strange, stoic bank executive who seems out of place but has still taken an interest in the property, an equally strange old woman content with meeting all of these new people, and the silly real estate agent who doesn't seem to be very good at her job. And of course, our bank robber who has now turned a failed robbery into a very real hostage situation. Over the course of the book, we learn more about each of our characters, what brought them to this moment, their existing relationships, and the relationships that develop in this hostage situation that has turned charming. Through interviews conducted by a father/son cop duo, we inch closer to the bottom of exactly what happened, where the bank robber went, and why our "hostages" are keeping quiet.
This was my first Backman book, and I think it was a good one to start with. I found this to be really charming, and a good reading experience for exactly when I needed to read it, in early 2026, right when the whole world seemed to be crumbling and running critically low on empathy.
And that is really the central thesis of this absurd book. Everyone is worthy of empathy. All it takes it some effort to get to know someone's story, and some understanding can go a really long way. Was it corny? Absolutely. Was it predictable? Yes. Even if some of the "twists" got me, I found the trajectory of the story easy to see. But it just made me feel good, and I appreciate it for that. I don't know that I'd read another book by Backman, I don't necessarily think his books are for me, but I'm glad I read this one.