The best book I’ve read in years.

Holy shit, what a book.

Fredrik Backman has always been one of those author’s that eluded me. All his books get incredible reviews but they are always checked out at my library so I’ve never picked one up until now. Now I completely get why everyone says Backman’s books are consistent must reads.

Trying to describe the plot of this book is an impossible feat without ruining the entire book. The basic premise is a bank robbery goes wrong and the robber ends up causing a hostage situation in an apartment viewing after fleeing the scene. The book unfolds from there and we learn about each member of the hostage party, as well as the robber, and what brought them to the moment that begins the story.

This is genuinely one of the best books I’ve ever read. Often your love of a book is shaped by when you read it and where you are in life, and this one has already made such a massive impact upon me. I think this is the perfect read for 2021 as a lot of the themes the book deals with are loneliness, depression and trying your best regardless of your situation. Much of the book is about how all of us are pretending we’re knowing what we’re doing and making it up as we go along, and that’s okay! As long as we recognize that in other people and can forgive them for mistakes, we should also be able to forgive ourselves. This book also has a big theme of love, and how the definition of love changes depending on the relationship, whether it be romantic, friendship or familial. The way love is portrayed in this book in small ways is absolutely astonishingly beautiful and I honestly am going to purchase this book just so I can underline the passages that were poignant for me. The way this book is plotted, how Backman is able to balance this giant cast of characters and still make each one feel completely different from the others, while still being moving is honestly the writing of an icon.

I would give this more than five stars if I could. It’s perfection.

Title: Anxious People
Author: Fredrik Backman
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 341
ISBN: 9781501160837
Three Descriptors: Intricately Plotted, Reflective, Engaging

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