Review: Anxious People (by Fredrik Backman)

My Rating: 5 stars

I've been wanting to read a Fredrik Backman book for a while now (I have pretty much all of his previous works on my TBR), but hadn't found the time to do so until recently when I was approved for an ARC of his latest novel Anxious People (which is scheduled for publication next month).  Of course, I had high expectations going into this one given the reputation of the author — well, after I finished reading, my first reaction was:  Wow!  Now I know why Backman is such a beloved author to so many (my second reaction was:  I need to go back and read all his previous books, like asap!).

 

This book was so unlike anything I've read before.  On the one hand, this was a sad story where each character had at least one (in some cases more) issue they were trying to deal with -- issues "serious" enough so as to make their lives seem utterly miserable and hopeless: be it a painful memory from their past that they were trying to suppress, worries over an uncertain future after entering a new stage in life, fear of losing loved ones due to circumstances beyond one's control, feeling helpless in the face of life's many injustices, etc.  There were also some "heavy" topics explored in the story, such as death, suicide, divorce, betrayal, emotional and psychological distress, etc.  But yet, this was not a "heavy" read at all – in fact, truth be told, this was actually one of the funniest books I've ever read!   Yes, I know it sounds odd – after all, how can a story be so sad and heartrending one minute, to the point that I'm tearing up, yet so witty and hilarious the next minute that I found myself laughing until my insides hurt?   Therein lies the brilliance in the way Backman crafted the story – the topics were heavy, yet the light-hearted tone in which this was written didn't diminish the issues in any way...in fact, it did the opposite in that it actually made me pay more attention to the circumstances that caused the characters to be in the predicaments they ended up in. 

 

Speaking of the characters, they were another reason why I loved this book so much.  All the characters were so brilliantly written – every behavior, emotion, quirk, personality flaw, etc was so spot-on!  Also, each character had distinctive personalities, yet their experiences and behaviors were so relatable and resonant on a personal level that with every single character, I actually found something in common either with myself or with someone in my life (in fact, I was nodding my head so often when I came across some familiar trait / habit / circumstance with the characters that I ended up with a neck cramp after I finished reading, lol).  If I had to sum up this book, I would say that, in essence, this is an ingeniously-told, character-driven story that, at its heart, explores the trials and tribulations of what it means to be human. 

 

Another thing I loved about this book was its cleverness in terms of structure.  On the surface, it sounded like a really simple story – so simple in fact that, after the first 10 pages or so, I thought for sure the story was over, as what else was there to tell?  A lot, it turned out!  The "simple" story turned into multiple seemingly unrelated threads, with various tidbits of information added here and there as the story progressed that seemed to alter the narrative slightly -- just when I thought I had things figured out, well, it turns out I had nothing figured out at all!  The way all the variant threads came together so perfectly and flawlessly at the end, I only have FIVE WORDS* to describe my reaction:  Fredrik Backman is a genius! (*inside joke for those who read the book).

 

If this review sounds a bit vague, note that this was done on purpose, as nothing I say (or write) about this book will be able to do it justice.  You need to experience this wonderful book for yourself – and sooner rather than later!   Oh and if you're like me, who usually only skims the Acknowledgements section after finishing the book, you may want to actually read this one, as it was as much fun as reading the book itself!

 

Received ARC from Atria Books via NetGalley.