Anxious People

Mane Tanvi, Student-B.C.S. III,
Camp Education Society’s
Dr. Arvind B. Telang Senior College of Arts, Science & Commerce, Nigdi Pune-44
“Even if I knew the world would go to pieces tomorrow, I would still plant my apple tree today..”
This is what anxious people tells us- even in chaos, their is always hope. Their is always tomorrow, it’s story about the messy, beautiful Complexity of being human. about struggles we face and Connections we form.
Fredrik Backman known for his best- Sellers A Man Called Ove, Beartown. he has an extraordinary gift for turning normal people and their everyday struggle into heart warming stories. Anxious People is story about a failed bank robber who takes a group of strangers hostage during an apartment viewing. Hostages are released but the robber is vanished in thin air leaving behind a gun on floor & blood stained carpet. Through series of interviews and Flashbacks the lives of hostages intersect, revealing their Struggles , secrets and humanity , ultimately the story isn’t about crime itself but about Connection, the fragile threads that bind people together, and how we find hope in one another. The book introduces us to a cast of characters, The bank robber is someone desperate and simply trying to make sense of life and 8 hostages at just as anxious as the robber , their is also Father and Son police duo investigating the case.
What Stands out about this book is Backman uses humor to explore serious themes like anxiety, depression, loneliness and guilt. despite dealing with Such emotional the Story doesn’t feel depressing instead it feels like warm hug , a reminder that even in
our most anxious moment we are not alone. Backman’s writing style is simple yet profound. He breaks the fourth wall, speaking directly to the reader. After reading book few quotes stayed with me forever Such as, “If you do it for long enough, it can become impossible to tell the difference between Flying and falling” “Sometimes it hurts, it really hurts, for no other reason than the fact that our Skin doesn’t feel like it’s Ours. Sometimes We panic because the bills need paying and we have to be grown up & we don’t Know how, because it’s So horribly desperately easy to fail at being grownup. While Anxious people is heart warming read, it’s not without it’s flaws, some might find characters are exaggerated or hard to Connect at first but that’s the of journey, by the end you’ll find yourself Caring deeply tor these idiots, as author lovingly calls them. you’ll realize these aren’t just character’s they are reflection of all us. This book was Originally written in Swedish has been translated into multiple languages and even adapted in to a Netflix series. Published by ATRIA books in 2021 in English.
For anyone who loves stories that make you feel and think at the same time, then this is for you. it will make you laugh, cry and seethe beauty in life’s imperfections.