Carole´s Monday: Anxious people

 

Author: Fredrik Backman

Narrator: Marin Ireland

Title: Anxious People

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery, Humor

Format: Audiobook

Published: April 25, 2019

Where I got It: Audible

Summary: 

Looking at real estate isn't usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can't fix up their own marriage. There's a wealthy banker who has been too busy making money to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can't seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment's only bathroom, and you've got the worst group of hostages in the world.

Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them—the bank robber included—desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises, these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in a motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.

Humorous, compassionate, and wise, Anxious People is an ingeniously constructed story about the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope—the things that save us, even in the most anxious of times.

Review:

This was selected for book club and it was new to me. Sounds like something I would be entertained by so I was extra excited. 

Here we find ourselves with a huge cast of characters. These people are being held hostage by a bank robber is not at all good at being a bank robber. The captives include a recently retired couple who are avoiding their issues, a wealthy banker who is having regrets, a young couple about to become parents, an 87 year-old lonely lady, a nervous real estate agent, and a mystery man who locked himself in the bathroom. They all have a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, anxiety, and wanting to be rescued from their lives. As the authorities and media surround the premises these allies will set in a motion a chain of events that can change all of their lives. 

This, just like it's characters, was everywhere. We get to learn about all of these characters and their ties. Even two of the main cops on the scene who are father and son.

There is sadness and humor here. Sometimes the humor was sprinkled on a BIT too much for the situation at hand, but it was nice having the humor because life is like that. There is humor even amongst the sadness. However.....there were times I felt awkward because it was a bit too much. 

Everyone here is an idiot, lovable, but an idiot. It was a bit much at times and YES I get why. 

I really, really enjoyed it even with the idiots and the over-sprinkled humor parts. So many amazing life lessons here. This is a people story overall and I really did enjoy it. I'm curious about the TV show. I'm sure I'll watch it now that enjoyed the book. 

Now, I did end up doing the audiobook. Originally I was going to read the ebook, but something made me click audio instead. The narrator was fantastic. Her array of voices was nice and it felt like the majority of everyone had their own voice. A couple sounded similar, but overall, wonderful performance. 

This is for sure a must-read if you like a good people story with a cast of characters. There is a lot of lessons and some humor mixed in. 

I'll stamp this with 4 stars. As I mentioned....sometimes the humor was a touch heavy in parts. 

ONE WORD SUMMARY: Witty

Challenge(s):
- Audiobook #29