Fredrik Backman: Anxious People (November 2025)

Anxious People is set in a small town in present day Sweden where six prospective buyers viewing an apartment and the estate agent were held hostage by an escaping armed bank robber. They have been safely released and are now being interviewed by two rather inept policemen, a father and son, to establish details about the event and the whereabouts of the bank robber who is missing.

We were puzzled at the start of the novel by the odd responses of the victims to police questioning as they all seem incapable of giving a straight answer but their stories unfold and all becomes clear.

Whilst they were kept captive they got to know each other and we learn about their lives. People are, as is so often the case, not as they at first seem.

Estelle, aged eighty-seven, says her husband is trying to find a parking space. Two women recently married are expecting a baby but one of them is insisting on viewing one apartment after another to avoid facing her fears about her ability to be a good parent.

The other couple, now retired, are also engaged in a displacement activity, “flipping” apartments because the husband knows that he will never have a grandchild.

Saddest of all is Zara who appears to be the most unsympathetic character. A brittle, impeccably dressed successful woman who runs a bank is, however, burdened by a dreadful guilty secret and is badly in need of friendship but cannot allow herself to get close to anyone. We see chinks in her armour as the story progresses.

A bridge visible from the balcony is an important part of of the story and is a metaphor for connections and the hostages become close to one another, opening up, revealing themselves and, oddly, under the circumstances, having some fun. Finding some hidden wine in the apartment and sending out for pizza helps to break the ice.

Although this novel has a farcical, quirky quality and is frequently zany and absurd, it is also warm and sympathetic and the challenges faced by the characters are relatable and all too real. The humour is dark but never cruel and we found ourselves laughing out loud and, several of us admitted to crying as well.

We very much enjoyed the satisfyingly clever twists and revelations.

Anxious People looks at relationships, long and new marriages, grief, loss, estrangements and, above all, it is a book about love in all its forms.

We would happily read more of Fredrik Backman’s work and award this one 5/5.