“Anxious People” by Fredrik Backman – The Common Thread of Failure

Fredrik Backman seems to have a fantastic penchant for the unusual in his stories, and he presents yet another original premise in his latest novel, Anxious People. The story takes place in an open house, where a group of eight people have been taken hostage by a failed bank robber. 

 
They all have their own worries, grievances, and failures in life to deal with, and as the situation escalates into a national drama, they begin to see rather surprising truths about themselves.

Frederick Backman Prepares the Boiling Pot of People

No matter how much we might think we know about ourselves, there are some aspects of our being which only make themselves apparent under dire circumstances. Regardless of all the daily lies and rationalizations we use to keep our own minds from drowning with worry, they can be shattered by a crisis and bring about the sorts of revelations which might have remained dormant forever.

Passing through such a moment at least once, if not more, is an inevitable side effect of the human condition, and in Frederick Backman's Anxious People, a whole group is pitted face-to-face against a crisis none of them could have foreseen.

Taking place during an open house, the story has a group of people from all walks of life assembled. There is the young couple expecting a baby but unable to agree on anything, the recently retired couple whose marriage is falling apart, an infinitely selfish bank director, a real estate agent always focused on making a deal, an eighty-seven year-old grandmother too old to be afraid of anything or anyone, and a mystery man who locks himself in the bathroom.

All these people are brought together by the magic of crime when a failed bank robber bursts in with a mask and a gun, taking the whole lot hostage without much of a real plan beyond this. What he doesn't suspect is he has in front of him perhaps the worst group of people in the world to hold as hostage, all of them having a junkyard of grievances, passions and secrets to spill out into the world.

As the police and media presence escalate around the event, it turns into something of a national attraction, giving the unlikely group of strangers all the time they need to start learning some truly surprising and unexpected truths about each other. What's more, they're about to set in motion a rather unpredictable chain of events which might leave them bound forever. 

The Ridiculous Done Right in Anxious People

In recent years I've personally felt as if there has been a rise in ridiculous humour, and while I can't say I consume enough pop culture schlock to make a definitive statement, I think it's a fair assessment with the overwhelming amount of loud and obnoxious comedians and social media stars. Along the lines though, I feel like we've very much forgotten what ridiculous humour can really bring.

On many occasions, an artist equates being ridiculous with inserting loud and random elements which deprive whatever scene they're depicting of real sense or logic. It seems mere lack of concrete sense is enough to make a lot of people laugh... and I cannot overstate how happy I was to see Backman go far beyond this, and towards what I believe ridiculous humour can really accomplish.

For me, much of the humour came from the uncertainty and awkwardness of the whole situation, and the believable ways in which all the characters reacted. For instance, it's not even clear if there is even a real hostage situation happening in the first place, and the would-be hostages seem much more preoccupied with resolving the conundrums in their lives instead of surviving the moment.

I will admit at the start, it does feel like a conglomerate of random elements simply thrown into a cauldron for a mystery stew, but as the story starts progressing all the people and their problems start to get not only more fleshed out, but increasingly interconnected with each other. The ridiculous elements are not random, and very much play a purpose in driving the story forward.

The Lives of Others

While the humour is certainly the first element to have jumped out in front of my eyes when I began reading the book, and further I got into it, the more it dawned on me I was reading a story with a good deal more depth than the premise led to anticipate.

Despite all the characters being somewhat eccentric and ridiculous in their own ways, I couldn't help myself but feel for them and the various lots they were given in life, and by the end of it I was basically cheering for everyone involved in this affair. At the onset they might have been defined by a distinctive trait or two, but eventually are shown to have true depth and complexity.

The interplay between all the hostages is often both comical and heartwarming, to the point where it feels like they're in the process of forming a group of lifelong friends, failed bank robber included. The revelations they give throughout the story are also meaningful, touching and surprising in their own ways, while always remaining in the realms of the believable.

Additionally, the secondary characters surrounding the whole hostage situation are equally well-written and provide some welcome moments of comedy by their efforts to get to the bottom of it all. I could completely feel their confusion and awkward decision-making process in the face of this unusual situation, and couldn't help but laugh at how out of place and useless normal behaviour had become.

I would venture to say this is, ultimately, a book about human relations and the ability of any kind of person to make any kind of decision. My opinions were shifting somewhat often about the characters, until I realized the point Backman was trying to make: good people can do bad, an bad people can do good... how are we to judge them? In light of this, how are we to judge ourselves? 

The Final Verdict

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman is a thoughtful and touching comedy which not only carries a message worthy of making us think, but a good dose of what I consider true quality ridiculous humour, tied together by a cast of truly interesting and fleshed out characters.

If you are looking for a book of humorous fiction capable of actually making you feel good about humans (something sorely needed in this year of 2020), then I strongly recommend you give this book a read. 

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Fredrik Backman Personal site Fredrik Backman is a columnist, blogger and writer from Sweden who has penned two bestsellers in his country so far, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry and A Man Called Ove, the latter of which was turned into a major motion picture.