A surprisingly weak story from the otherwise excellent narrator Backman. The characters are theatrically overexposed, the dialogues, especially during the interrogations of the police-investigators, are unreliable with the arrogance of the witnesses and the surprising courtesy of the law enforcement officers. ( )

Anxious People is sweet and sad, strange and authentic. The writing and characters are great. Some parts are ridiculously silly, other parts are very real and heart-rending. I'll definitely read more by this author.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator does an amazing job. ( )

B+ (Very good).

Strangers become friends while being held hostage. It was difficult to get through the first 50 pages, where Backman puts on a bitter front, talking directly to the reader about What's Wrong With The World Today. But as he pulls back the layers of the characters, it turns into something lovely and sappy (in a good way).

(May 2024) ( )

I just love Backman. I KNOW what he's going to do by now having read two other books where he sets things up the same way, but I don't care. He makes it work. You'll start by hating the characters. Probably every one of the characters. Maybe one possibly two escape the venom. Eventually, you'll find out those characters aren't as bad as you first thought. A little later, you'll realize they're actually pretty good. You'll love the characters. You'll wonder how you could have hated them a mere 100 or so pages prior. That is the magic of Backman. ( )

I am so glad I read this book. I truly love the way its written, the characters, the life stories. So much anyone can relate to on a personal level. So much to learn. ( )