Anxious People
Fredrik Backman, 2019
Mystery, thriller & crime Contemporary fictionGraphic novels & humour
A failed bank robber takes a roomful of apartment-viewing strangers hostage, and the police try to work out who is really trapped.
Feels like tenderness, humor and wonder. About morality.
A page from the book
Why the happiest lives online look so exhausting up close.
The truth of course is that if people really were as happy as they look on the Internet, they wouldn’t spend so much damn time on the Internet, because no one who’s having a really good day spends half of it taking pictures of themselves. Anyone can nurture a myth about their life if they have enough manure, so if the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, that’s probably because it’s full of shit. Fredrik Backman.The Swedish title, Folk med ångest, means 'People with Anxiety'—the English title turns a diagnosis into a group portrait.
Books that feel like this
More by Fredrik Backman
A Man Called Ove
Fredrik Backman, 2012
A grumpy Swedish man with strict rules and a Saab finds his orderly life interrupted by the messy neighbours next door. Funny, tender and sometimes bleak.
My Friends
Fredrik Backman, 2025
A teenage vandal, a perfect plan, and a painting worth more than a life—Backman’s funniest, most tender voice yet.
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
Fredrik Backman, 2013
A seven-year-old, her irreverent grandmother, and a stairwell of odd neighbours, bound together by fairy tales and apology letters.
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Questions readers ask
- What is Anxious People like?
- Feels like tenderness, humor and wonder. About morality.
- What should I read after Anxious People?
- If you liked Anxious People, try The Man Who Died Twice (Richard Osman), Life’s Too Short (Abby Jimenez) and Room (Emma Donoghue).
A taste of the feed
The friend who ends the argument by telling you what you already decided.
Elizabeth reaches for the white wine. “Ibrahim, not everything is about numbers. Ron, you would die long before the dog; male life expectancy is far lower than female life expectancy, and you know what your GP has said about your blood sugar. And Joyce, we both know you’ve already made up your mind. You’ll get a rescue dog. It’ll be sitting somewhere right now, all alone with big eyes, just waiting for you. You will be powerless and, besides, it’ll be fun for all of us, so let’s stop even discussing it.”
The Man Who Died Twice · Richard Osman
A life philosophy delivered as a list of permissions.
Don’t ever forget the things I taught you. Life’s too short, Adrian. It is too fucking short. Eat the cake, take the vacation, dance in the rain. And don’t do anything that’s going to break your heart. I’m just sorry that in this case, that thing was me.
Life’s Too Short · Abby Jimenez
The confidence of exactly five years old, stated without a flicker of doubt.
When I was a little kid I thought like a little kid, but now I’m five I know everything.
Room · Emma Donoghue
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