If you and your book club are looking for an uplifting read (and who isn’t these days?), Anxious People, a charmer from A Man Called Ove author Fredrik Backman, is sure to boost your spirits and restore your belief in the power of community.
Table of contents
Anxious People summary
An apartment open-house changes from a run-of-the-mill real estate opportunity to a life-or-death struggle as a robber takes a group of strangers hostage at gunpoint. (Trust us, it’s a surprisingly feel-good story, despite its subject matter.)
The captives include: A recently retired couple who prefer to focus on fixing up properties instead of their own marriage; a wealthy bank director whose career is his life; a young, constantly bickering couple who are expecting their first child; an 87-year-old woman who could care less about the gun waving in her face; and a wheeling-and-dealing real estate agent who locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom.
As the hostage situation carries on and police surround the building, tensions boil over and grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions come to light. Everyone in the apartment — robber included — is in search of some sort of rescue.
With his signature understanding of human nature and authentic dialogue, Backman uses an unlikely situation to discuss friendship, forgiveness, and hope in even the most anxious times.
Anxious People book club questions
- Although the hostages are very different people, many of them are struggling with fear, sadness, or loneliness. How do these themes connect them? What coping mechanisms have they developed to deal with these feelings?
- Anxious People has a non-linear narrative style — it jumps back and forth in time, revealing the characters’ stories piece by piece. Did you find this confusing, or did it keep you curious and engaged?
- Do you agree that Estelle’s book-swapping with her neighbor rises to the level of an affair? What constitutes an affair if there’s no physical relationship?
- If sharing books is considered cheating, how many people are you currently having affairs with? Have you ever given a book to a crush?
- Have you seen the Swedish-language adaptation of Anxious People on Netflix? How might the story be different if it were set in the US (á la the A Man Called Otto movie starring Tom Hanks, which adapts A Man Called Ove)? Which actors would you cast in the main roles?
- What goes together better than books and wine? (We know Estelle agrees!) Which wine (or other drink) pairs best with each of the characters?
- Jim and Jack’s relationship is strained by the fact that they work together on the police force. Can you imagine working with a member of your family? What would be the pros and cons of that collaboration?
- The concept of “found family” is an important theme in Anxious People. How do bonds and obligations in found families differ from those with blood relatives, as shown by the characters in the book or from your life experience?
- What assumptions did you make about the identity of the bank robber? Were you surprised when their identity was revealed?
Memorable quotes
- “This story is about a lot of things, but mostly about idiots. So it needs saying from the outset that it’s always very easy to declare that other people are idiots, but only if you forget how idiotically difficult being human is.”
- “Do you know what the worst thing about being a parent is? That you’re always judged by your worst moments. … Parents are defined by their mistakes.”
- “People need a project. … If we didn’t keep moving, our marriage wouldn’t get any oxygen.”
- “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.”
- “They say that a person’s personality is the sum of their experiences. But that isn’t true, at least not entirely, because if our past was all that defined us, we’d never be able to put up with ourselves. We need to be allowed to convince ourselves that we’re more than the mistakes we made yesterday. That we are all of our next choices, too, all of our tomorrows.”
- “We don't have a plan, we just do our best to get through the day, because there'll be another one coming along tomorrow.”
- “We are asleep until we fall in love.”
What to read for your next book club
If you liked Anxious People, then these related titles might be a hit for your next book club pick.
1. Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
You can’t go wrong with more Backman. Britt-Marie Was Here is a heartwarming and hilarious story about a reluctant outsider who transforms a tiny village and a woman who finds love and second chances in the unlikeliest of places.
2. When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald
This is an uplifting debut about an unlikely heroine whose journey will leave you wanting to embark on a quest of your own, because after all, we are all legends of our own making.
3. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
From the author of The Family Fang, a moving and uproarious novel about a woman who finds meaning in her life when she begins caring for two children with a remarkable ability.
If you like the narrator of the Anxious People audiobook, check out Marin Ireland’s rendition of Nothing to See Here.
Trivia questions for Anxious People
To get things warmed up (or if you’re not ready for book club to end), ask a few of these trivia questions for Anxious People, and see who really got into the book.
- What event in Fredrik Backman’s real life may have inspired the plot of Anxious People?
- Anna-Lena hires a man to dress up as an animal to ruin apartment viewings and bring down the sale price. What kind of animal is it?
- What kind of food does the bank robber demand when the hostages get hungry?
- The book takes place the day before which holiday?
- How long did Zara carry the letter in her bag?
Answers:
- In the early 2000s he was shot in the leg during a robbery
- Rabbit
- Pizza
- New Year’s Eve
- 10 years
