Anxious People is written by the No. 1 New York Times bestseller, Fredrik Backman, who also wrote the A man Called Ovo. When it was selected as a bookclub read I had no idea it has also been made into a Netflix TV Series. And yes, I watched the series after reading, and loving, the book……
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman is available from Amazon and The City Adventurers Solve The Murder bookshop
Plot
It’s New Year’s Eve and House Tricks estate agents are hosting an open viewing in an up-market apartment when an incompetent bank robber rushes in and politely takes everyone hostage.
For Anna-Lena and Roger, busy buying-up apartments to fill the hole in their marriage, it’s something else to talk about.
For Julia and Ro, panicky parents-to-be, it’s yet another worry.
Lonely bank manager Zara only came here for the view.
While 87-year-old grandmother Estelle seems rather pleased by the company . . .
As the police gather outside, the anxious strangers huddled within try to make the best of a very sticky situation – but could it be that they have a whole lot more in common than meets the eye?
Review
The book is a great read. It’s small chapters weave together the lives of the people caught up in the hostage situation. Flipping between them, you get to see how they all ended up in this predicament and how a bridge, visible from the balcony of the flat, holds a significant place in most of their stories.
There is also a lot of suspense in the book. At the start the police interview the hostages, who appear to do their best to not answer their questions. What are they hiding from the situation? what are they hiding from their pasts?
then their is the identity of the failed bank robber turned hostage taker. Who are they? How did they get themselves into this situation? Partway through the book I thought I had uncovered their identity……just before the police came to the same conclusion. We were both wrong!
As the people held in the flat start to open up to each other, the reader gets to discover more and more about their lives and backgrounds. Very much an ensemble piece.
I loved the book and was apprehensive about watching the TV show. It does not follow the book as closely as you might imagine but still manages to get across the story well. They have combined some of the characters and completely omitted others. The bridge, that was very significant in the book, barely gets a mention in the TV show. But despite all this, the story still holds together.
Would I recommend Anxious People? Undoubtedly. However, I would recommend reading the book more than the show.
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman is available from Amazon and The City Adventurers Solve The Murder bookshop
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