Anxious People: The No. 1 New York Times bestseller, now a Netflix TV Series

🌻 They say that a person’s personality is the sum of their experiences. But that isn’t true, at least not entirely, because if our past was all that defined us, we’d never be able to put up with ourselves. We need to be allowed to convince ourselves that we’re more than the mistakes we made yesterday. That we are all of our next choices, too, all of our tomorrows 🌻 This book was a birthday gift from a friend i love very much. It came to me at a time when i hopeless and was looking for something to smile about. It was the first book picked up after a long long time and happy to report it was worth it. I'm not going to lie and say this is an easy book to read. Because Backman has a point, "no one and nothing is as they seem " and he drives it home repeatedly with every incomplete reveal. The first half will test your patience, because the narrative has no set time-line, it's non-linear and it waves back and forth between the past and the present. Frankly, i found the characters quite annoying. But once i got to the second half, the speed picked up and timelines became crystal clear. After that i didn't even want to put the book down and drink water. The characters became people i see on the streets daily, like friends, like people i love. It was charming, sad, hilarious and had me right where it wanted. Entranced. For me, Backman is a magician. Because weaving sensitive topics such as sui**de, love, loss, parenthood and grief in such a way that the reader ends up laughing and crying at the same time seems like quite an impossible task. But this book for me has struck that fine balance. It's a beautiful reflection of humanity. I feel like this is going to one of those books that's going to stay in my heart for years. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

When we are children, most of us live our lives in a routine manner, from getting up in the morning to going to bed in the night but while growing up into adults,our lives become complicated as we get more engrossed in our daily lives - from finding a job, a home to live, taking care of our family, remembering to pay taxes,wifi passwords etc.The other factors that stops our becoming a normal adults are that, as a child if we had been through bad past or witnessed any shocking incidents, then in such case the nightmares of the past haunt us for long,when we enter into adulthood.Hence, these nightmares may act as a stumbling block for growing up into normal adults & may effect our serene & happy life. As an adult, we see the reflection of our scary past that was spent as a child & which influences the decisions that we make & that which may not only harm us but also that of those who are dependant on us.Thus, in genral we lead a life of confusion & then if you are driven by frustration & helplessness, it adds much fuel to our thoughtless actions,resulting in instinctive decisions.But later on hindsight,we may regret our actions & realize our absurdities.We may tend to cure our chaos with chaos,that lead us to an unhappy life filled with anxieties & worries."Anxious People" by Fredrik Backman is one such story. 10 years ago, Jack as a child,witnesses a man jumping from a bridge but couldn't convince the man from doing so & save him from jumping.A woman,Zara ,standing at the far end of the bridge also witnesses the incident.Earlier, the man who jumped, meets Zara at the bank for a loan as he was going through financial crisis but couldn't be able to secure a loan to overcome his debts as he had nothing to mortgage at the bank.Zara was able to recognize the man & also finds a letter in an envelope written to her by the man,at the other end of the bridge in water.She carries the envelope in her purse for 10 long years without opening it. A week later both, Jack & Zara witnesses a girl (Nadia) at the same spot ,also trying to jump from the bridge,under distress.Jack driven by guilt of not saving the man earlier,instinctively pushes the girl & runs away while the girl falls unconscious on the ground.Since then Jack & Zara couldn't quite get over from the incidents,they have witnessed at the bridge and their nightmares continued to haunt them even after 10 years.Jack becomes a police officer & Nadia chooses to be a psychalogist with the primary intention of helping the people in distress. Besides the book is also the story of another child(the bank robber)with a troubled past & whose divorced mother couldn't quite get out of her drinking habits & the impact that had on her as a child.The bank robber,when forced by financial crisis,a divorce notice,eviction of building premises,loosing a job & most importantly holding the custody of her two children decides to rob a bank,on an impulse thought.The bank turns out to be cashless bank & just as she decides to abort the plan of robbing & quietly walking away from the scene,the cashier at the bank mentions calling cops which makes the bank robber panicky.She runs into the street & into the building opposite,where an house was on for sale & where a few people gather for viewing the house.What originally was a bank robbery turns out into an hostage drama,just because of one bad idea & poor planning.When you are blinded by love,you take actions more out of instincts than by deep thought. The book is simple and funny, and the writer has got a unique writing skills.Use of the names like "London" for cashier @ bank is hilarious.The interrogation of cops with that of hijacked people is quite funny and makes you wonder as to who is interviewing whom? The bank robber actually turns out to be a woman, which we learn very late in the book.The humane side of the two police officers(father/son,duo) touches the heart of the readers. The revelations of the characters very subtly as we read along the book is quite intriguing.Above all an interesting book where we,as readers find ourselves in one or the other characters. Lastly ,the quote of Martin Luther,through Jack's mother -'Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my Apple Tree, 'Will go a long,long way with the readers.

♥️"Everyone inside the apartment had their own complexes, their own demons and anxieties" True for the book and for the real world too. ♥️There were several heartwrenching,heart touching moments, when your heart is in your throat. I did tear up in several places. ♥️There was a major twist that I did not see, so a tip to the reader is to read very carefully. ♥️The writer talks about many things including generation gap, adulting, parenting,('Parents are defined by their mistakes.')’ love, marriage, relationships, the epidemic of loneliness,('loneliness is like starvation, you don’t realize how hungry you are until you begin to eat.' ) etc and is a tongue in cheek commentary of the ironical times we live in. The author writes with scathing honesty about the human condition. ♥️There is humour, dark humour and sarcasm. ♥️Narration keeps the intrigue on how the characters are connected in in real life and also humanly. ♥️I found it very relatable, highlighted much in the book that spoke to me, "We don’t have a plan, we just do our best to get through the day", "restore life to its factory settings", empty bed and sleeping pills', love can make you do quite a lot of ridiculous things.., It just hurts so much at times, being human, ♥️A Thought-provoking read. ♥️I Found the relationship between Anna and Roger most touching My ♥️favourite excerpts from the book: ♥️We can all be idiots, but we’re still all human beings worthy of connection and love. ♥️Our hearts are bars of soap that we keep losing hold of; the moment we relax, they drift off and fall in love and get broken, all in the wink of an eye. ♥️Because you’ve probably been depressed yourself, you’ve had days when you’ve been in terrible pain in places that don’t show up in X-rays, when you can’t find the words to explain it even to the people who love you ♥️We lie to those we love. ♥️because sometimes it’s easier to live with your own anxieties if you know that no one else is happy, either. ♥️Life doesn’t always turn out the way you expect. ♥️you are loved in spite of everything that you are. ♥️We give those we love nicknames, because love requires a word that belongs to us alone. ♥️you should always be nice to other people, even idiots, because you never know how heavy their burden is. ♥️He was my echo ♥️humour is the soul’s last line of defence, and as long as we’re laughing we’re alive, so bad puns and fart jokes were their way of expressing their defiance against despair. ♥️That’s the power of literature, you know, it can act like little love letters between people who can only explain their feelings by pointing at other people’s. 📖I read the kindle edition ⚠️A Trigger warning for : suicide,suicidal ideations,depression, substance abuse/drugs, heroin, anxiety, panic attacks and heroin addiction,obsessions and addictions. ♥️A 4.9/5 star read for me.

“It was a long story. All stories are, when it comes down to it, if you tell them from start.” This line appears within Anxious People and quietly signals what Fredrik Backman is doing throughout the novel: asking us to slow down and look beyond first impressions. Lives, like stories, resist being understood in fragments. The novel begins with a failed bank robbery that leads to a group of strangers being held hostage during an apartment viewing. What unfolds is not a crime thriller but a tender, often funny exploration of fear, loneliness, regret, and the ways ordinary people carry extraordinary emotional weight. Backman populates the story with a small, carefully drawn cast: a sharp-edged banker living with grief and isolation; an elderly woman whose calm presence holds deep loss and wisdom; a young couple anxious about money, responsibility, and becoming parents; a relentlessly upbeat real-estate agent using cheerfulness as armour; and two police officers; a father and son navigating their own complicated bond. Each character is sketched lightly yet meaningfully, never overstaying their place in the narrative. Through interviews, digressions, and gentle humour, Backman lets misunderstandings slowly dissolve into empathy. The structure mirrors anxiety itself ; circular, restless, and unresolved yet the novel moves steadily toward warmth rather than chaos. Anxious People ultimately isn’t about a robbery at all. It’s about people trying, imperfectly, to understand one another. Backman’s compassion, restraint, and belief in human goodness make this a quietly moving and deeply satisfying read.

How many times can you fall for your favorite author's writing? I would say an infinite number of times! Every time I read a book by Fredrik Backman, I fall for his writing more and more. He writes about life, human struggle, and emotions in a way that you feel deeply related to. He weaves stories and characters that touch deep inside your heart and remain with you for a long time. Anxious People is my fourth read by the author, and once again, I am amazed by his writing. I think this is the first book that made me laugh that much. I don't often read humorous books, but I am glad I read this one! ~ The story starts when after a failed attempt to rob a bank, a would-be-bank-robber ends up in an apartment viewing, taking a group of people hostage. So it is a story about a would-be bank robber, eight chaotic strangers, and two clueless police officers. As the story unfurls, we learn more about these characters. They are not entirely who they appear to be - each of them carries a lifetime of grievance, loss, and secrets. It is a character-driven mystery with extraordinary storytelling, unique writing, and characters that you will deeply resonate with. The main theme of the book is human connection and relation, empathy and hopefulness, mental health, and kindness. I loved how the author weaved the characters- the more I learned about them, the more I started to feel for them, relate with them. This book is a reminder to be kind to each other and to ourselves. Truly a great book! READ IT!

TRIGGER WARNINGS- Suicide, death, depression, cheating, hostage situation, suicidal ideation and panic attacks. Anxious People is a majorly loved book on bookstagram and I usually don't pick the booksta favourites, as sometimes it ends up falling short of its hype. But I would say I wasn't disappointed here. A book driven by strong characters, that brilliantly addresses the topic of mental health and it's importance. We cross paths with hundreds of people daily, some we talk to, some we don't. Some or I should say almost everyone of them is fighting some silent battles that we know nothing about. It's easy to say things to people, like why are you like this, why you behave like this, why you behave like this, stop being like that etc..but it's something that we don't know why they're actually being that way. As easy it is to judge people for how they seem to another, it is as difficult to understand why they're how they are. This is my first book by Backman and I'm sure I'll read more by him. I liked the book alot. The characters are so well thought and well crafted that I could imagine how they look. Each character has a story of their own which is well narrated while going on with the main story. If one gets into this book looking out for an exceptional storyline might get a bit disappointed because it's characters are the ones that make it an amazing read. The book is not only about mental health but also relationships, friendships and life too. I like how at places the author has said big things with a pinch of humour. Being written in multiple voices helps to connect with different characters at same time. Half of my book is flagged and hughlited, that's how much I liked the book and found some relatable lines. While this book might touch some wounds but heal some too and provides comfort and warmth.

Thoroughly enjoyed, creatively written, captures so many stories and emotions wonderfully, doesn't make it complicated or lengthy

Deep and funny at the same time. Emotionally rich.

My first Fredrick Backman book. After reading this, I bought two more books of the same writer.

It’s such an amazing book takes you through different emotions one second you’re feeling deep for the character the next unexpectedly laugh out loud. Love it from start to finish. must read

It’s not often you accidentally find a treasure of a book. What story telling, what character building, what plot. Tears in my eyes from laughter … and suddenly not. One of the toughest but warmest stories I’ve encountered.

Good read! Well written and touching Easy to read and makes you think a while It’s a story about life itself

É sem dúvidas um dos livros mais diferentes que já li, a narração é muito singular e genial! É um suspense que te prende e te faz de bobo, mas acima de tudo é uma imersão verdadeira e crua sobre nosso ser e nossos anseios. Encontramos nos personagens tudo aquilo que sentimos, mas não temos a coragem de refletir sobre, tanto no emocional quanto nos fatores externos que os causam. Ele te enubria com críticas pertinentes sobre o mundo financeiro e como este pode arruinar a vida de tantas pessoas, assim como também dar de tudo para uma minoria, que mesmo com o MUITO não tem nada. É uma história que te aventura na ficção de um bom drama e no mais emocionante caminho do humano, da empatia e da compreensão. É impossível terminar e não colocar todos os outros trabalhos do autor na lista de compras.