Rogelio Caedo

Never in my life have I read a book that has been as painfully, excruciatingly relatable as Fredrik Backman’s “Anxious People”. I didn’t want this book to end—I wanted it to keep going, to continue sharing its insights in the profound, unique way Backman has inimitably crafted, to keep telling the stories of these beautiful idiots. “Anxious People” is a story of a bank robbery, an apartment open house, a hostage drama, and a rabbit. However, as has been the case with his previous work “A Man Called Ove”, the first Backman work I’ve read, there’s so much more to the story than the simple narrative that surrounds it. It’s a story about idiots—lovers, parents, sons and daughters, cogs in a machine working to be the best cog and the engineers who are the only ones who know how the sausage is made. More specifically, it’s a story of what these idiots carry with them: guilt, anxiety, the feeling of never doing enough and never being able to measure up to expectations. As heavy as the scenarios and profundity may seem, however, Backman has this undeniable way of keeping his story light. You can attribute it to a number of factors: Backman’s brand of humor, his silly cast of characters, his snappy dialogue, his penchant for anecdotes and metaphors that are uncannily specific yet accurate, and his ability to surprise you with a laugh when you aren’t expecting one. Most remarkably, it is through these means that Backman is capable of harnessing the most nuanced and complex of human emotions and conveying them in ways you can really feel, even if you’ve never experienced similar scenarios. I want to speak more of the specific details surrounding the story, but there’s a lot that I want to keep in the dark if you decide to pick this book up for yourself. I think what terrifies me is how close to home this book hit. I did not expect “Anxious People” to target me so specifically, and that feeling came with the realization that these stresses and anxieties I once thought were unique to me are nearly universal. In realizing it, there’s a lump in my throat that formed in the epiphany of a universal anxiety, but there’s also a relief as the gravity of loneliness came off my shoulders—everyone’s in it, but we’re in it together. Backman is an author with a broad worldview and a deep understanding of what it means to be human, to be an adult in a society that shows more sympathy for your hangover than your anxiety. Between this book and “A Man Called Ove,” I find myself consistently impressed with not only Backman’s understanding but his ability to successfully convey how it feels and makes others feel, bridging perspectives and personalities that may seem incompatible with our own lifestyles but are rooted in the same core human experience at the end of the day. Fredrik Backman is becoming one of my all-time favorite authors. “Anxious People” is a beautiful, beautiful piece of fiction that will remain at the forefront of my mind for a long time. Please read this book.