A review by _fallinglight_
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

challenging emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

I don't care for books where the author keeps telling me how to perceive things and his way is the way. All these people are unbearable and I don't give a frick about their struggles. What you gonna do about that, Backman?

Giving it 2.5 bc for 65% of the book, I wasn't too aggravated by the writing style and it was even compulsively readable with all the hostage situation and who is the bank robber mystery going on–even if I was finding the characters grating and not relatable at all, which isn't usually a complaint I have towards characters but relatability, empathy seemed to be a pertinent factor for this book. But then, it kept beating the point over and over and over and over the head I got so incensed! I finished the book out of spite bc I'd already spent so many days on it, might as well see how this man wrapped this story up. It's so bad though. Fourth rate Dickens stuff. Oh, and the humor is intolerably bad, too.

Sincerely, an anxious person.
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