Contemporary fiction is not really my jam. I’ll read it, but it takes a while; I can’t blow through it like I would say, T.M. Logan’s The Vacation. I thought I’d give Fredrik Blackman’s Anxious People a try because it sounded interesting/funny and received a lot of praise.
About 37 pages in, I started to regret my decision. The storyline couldn’t have been more off base, and honestly, just downright annoying. Who in their right mind would read books like this?
I set it aside for about a week before I decided to pick it up again. And you know what? I’m glad I gave it a second chance because this turned out to be one of the most clever, interesting, funny, and heartwarming books I’ve ever read. I think I might go so far as to call it a favorite.
Title: Anxious People
Author: Fredrik Backman
Rating: Cleverly Crafted
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Page Count: 341
Published: 2019
The story is about a robbery. Or maybe it’s not. It’s about a group of people who are very different. But maybe they’re not. This book is about a lot of things – some trivial, some not. I don’t think you’d fully understand unless you read it from start to finish.
Every line has a purpose, and the sentences weave together a beautiful story about total strangers being forced together and the events that unfold – before, during, and after.
But really, the story begins ten years in the past when a man jumped from a bridge.
It’s maddening, it’s clever, it’s fun, and you’ll want everyone you know to read it. Just so you can talk about it with someone who’ll understand.
TL;DR
Nothing is really what it seems, but every sentence and character has a purpose. It’s clever and fun, but also maddening. You may be tempted to throw the book at a wall around page 37, but give it time. It will all be okay in the end.
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