Audiobook Review: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, read by Marin Ireland

Anxious People

by Fredrik Backman (Compact Disc Backman)

 

I’ve been a fan of the novels of Swedish author Fredrik Backman (in English translation, of course), since my wife introduced me to A Man Called Ove several years ago, and ended up loving both Beartown (a One Book — One Lincoln finalist) and its sequel Us Against You. And I’ve particularly enjoyed listening to the audiobook versions of his work — most often narrated by voice actress Marin Ireland. Anxious People is the the latest, having been released in late 2020.

 

Anxious People is a meandering story about different personalities in conflict. When a bank robber’s attempts to rob a bank for a very small amount of money go awry, the robber escapes into what they think is an empty apartment in a nearby building. Only…it’s not empty. There’s an apartment showing going on with several prospective buyers — and a very odd hostage situation quickly develops. The group of hostages (and the bank robber) are all quirky personalities, with unexpected conflicts, as are the father/son pair of local cops who want to solve the hostage crisis before the big city police specialists come in to take over the case.

 

Backman’s laid-back writing style allows the plot to just sort of wander around, back and forth in time, from one group of characters to another. And, I’ll admit, I wasn’t as engage by it for the first 80% of the book, as I usually am by his novels. But he does a masterful job of pulling all the seemingly loose plot threads together and creating a unified story by the end. And I ultimately did enjoy this one — just, perhaps, not as much as the other Backman books I’ve read or listened to so far. Still, a good read, and Ireland does a terrific job creating unique and different voices for all the many characters.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try other Fredrik Backman titles, particular as audiobook adaptations!]

[ official Anxious People page on the official Fredrick Backman web site ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

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