“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.”

On the outside, there is a hostage situation in an apartment. But inside that apartment, there is more than what the outside perceives.

A bank robbery turned into a hostage situation. Policemen around the premises to negotiate with the bank robber. And the media broadcasts the situation on television on the last day of the year. What could happen? Turns out, these are good ingredients to tell a great story.

Anxious People is a thought-provoking, funny, and moving story by Fredrik Backman. It speaks about humans as complex creatures and how they can find comfort through their differences. With Backman’s vibrant writing, he perfectly conveyed grief, anxiety, heartbreak, and hope. He captured the profoundness of society with his characters and the connections we unexpectedly form with strangers. This was a poignant and inspiring book with characters you wouldn’t want to forget.