Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

A novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove

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Anxious People is a bestselling novel by Swedish author Fredrik Backman, published in 2019. It's a poignant comedy, a locked-room mystery, and a deeply empathetic study of human vulnerability, mental health, and the unexpected connections that bind us together.

The plot

The story begins on New Year's Eve with a failed bank robbery. A desperate individual tries to rob a cashless bank to secure rent money and avoid losing custody of her children. Panicked, the robber flees into a nearby apartment building and stumbles into an open house viewing, taking a group of eccentric strangers hostage by accident.

The captives include a retired couple obsessed with flipping houses, a wealthy and cynical bank director, a stressed real estate agent, and a pregnant couple who can't agree on anything. As the hours pass, the hostages open up to one another, sharing their deepest anxieties and secrets. When the police finally storm the apartment, they find it completely empty. The robber has vanished. A local father-and-son police duo is left to interview the uncooperative witnesses and solve the mystery of how the criminal disappeared.

Key themes

• Empathy and compassion: everyone you meet is fighting a hard, invisible battle.
• Mental health: the novel gently explores heavy topics like depression, suicide, anxiety, and the overwhelming weight of modern adulthood.
• Parenting and adulting: Backman captures the universal fear that we're all just pretending to know what we're doing as adults and parents.

Perfect for

• Fans of A Man Called Ove
• Readers who love humor with heart
• Book clubs looking for a warm, thought-provoking pick