An instant #1 New York Times bestseller, the new novel from
the author of A Man Called Ove is a "quirky, big-hearted
novel....Wry, wise and often laugh-out-loud funny, it's a wholly
original story that delivers pure pleasure" (People).
Looking at real estate isn't usually a life-or-death situation, but an
apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts
in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a
recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid
the painful truth that they can't fix their own marriage. There's a
wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else
and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can't
seem to agree on anything. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman
who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in
her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent,
and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment's only
bathroom, and you've got the worst group of hostages in the world.
Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and
passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they
appear to be. And all of them--the bank robber included--desperately
crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the
premises, these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about
themselves and set in motion a chain of events so unexpected that even
they can hardly explain what happens next.
Proving once again that Backman is "a master of writing delightful,
insightful, soulful, character-driven narratives" (USA TODAY),
Anxious People "captures the messy essence of being human....It's
clever and affecting, as likely to make you laugh out loud as it is to
make you cry" (The Washington Post). This "endlessly entertaining
mood-booster" (Real Simple) is proof that the enduring power of
friendship, forgiveness, and hope can save us--even in the most anxious
of times.
