New York: Atria Books. VG/VG Signed By Author On Tipped-In Page. Faint Edgewear. Pages Clean, Binding Tight. DJ In Mylar Wrap. Pages: 341.. 2020. 1st Printing. Hardcover..

Synopsis

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, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. 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.

Reviews

On Oct 3 2020, a reader said:

"…you should always be nice to other people, even idiots, because you never know how heavy their burden is."

Anxious People is the sixth novel by Swedish author, Fredrik Backman. It is translated by Neil Smith and consists of (approx):

11% Comedy of Errors

11% Locked-room mystery

33% Social Commentary

11% Love Story

11% Slapstick/Keystone Cops

22% Philosophy

1% Farce

And 100% Backman

A small Swedish town. The young cop is frustrated. The hostages have been released unharmed, but the hostage-taker is missing, and the cop is certain that some, if not all, of the hostages are telling less than the whole truth. The big bosses from Stockholm will soon be there to take over.

The older cop worries for the young man, who obviously wants to solve the whole thing before they arrive. But the puzzle is defeating him. Hidden by a ski-mask and wielding a pistol, the robber made an unsuccessful attempt to rob the bank, then fled into an apartment open for viewing, taking the potential buyers hostage.

After a thorough search of the apartment, however, there was no sign of the failed robber. Interrogation of each of the hostages yields little useful information. Of course, the reader, privy to the bank robber's thoughts, has it figured out pretty quickly, right? Sure.

In characteristic Fredrik Backman fashion, he gives the reader a cast of people, all with their own individual anxieties, but all easy to identify with, throws them together and gradually reveals how they got that way. If all are initially strangers, there are definitely less than six degrees of separation between some of them.

There's a gun, a fair bit of blood, a large rabbit, a bowl of limes, several pizzas, and someone ends up with a lump on their forehead, but no animals are harmed in the making of this tale. Patience with the initial silliness is amply rewarded with an intriguing mystery, astute observations and sage comments, and lots of laugh-out-loud moments: "The bank robber stamped the floor in frustration. 'No one's listening to me! You're the worst hostages ever!'" Wise, insightful and blackly funny.

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Details

Bookseller: Vintage-Books (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: MASTER359467I
Title: Anxious People - Signed 1st Printing
Author: Backman, Fredrik
Format/Binding: Hardcover.
Book Condition: Used - VG/VG Signed By Author On Tipped-In Page. Faint Edgewear. Pages Clean, Binding Tight. DJ In Mylar Wrap. Pages: 341.
Jacket Condition: VG (See description)
Quantity Available: 1
Edition: 1st Printing
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN 10: 1982168765
ISBN 13: 9781982168766
Publisher: Atria Books
Place of Publication: New York
Date Published: 2020
Keywords: Signed, Literature, Fiction, Man Called Ove

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Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Tight: Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
VG/VG: Very Good Condition book with a Very Good Condition dust jacket. Very Good Condition indicates a used book that does show some...