Anxious People

The funny, touching and unpredictable No. 1 New York Times bestseller, now a major Netflix TV series. From the author of MY FRIENDS, the Sunday Times Bestseller and Goodreads Choice Awards Fiction 2025 winner! 'A brilliant and comforting read' MATT HAIG 'Funny, compassionate and wise. An absolute joy' A.J. PEARCE 'A surefooted insight into the absurdity, beauty and ache of life' GUARDIAN 'I laughed, I sobbed, I recommended it to literally everyone I know' BUZZFEED 'Captures the messy essence of being human' WASHINGTON POST From the 18 million copy internationally bestselling author of A Man Called Ove _______ It's New Year's Eve and House Tricks estate agents are hosting an open viewing in an up-market apartment when an incompetent bank robber rushes in and politely takes everyone hostage. For Anna-Lena and Roger, busy buying-up apartments to fill the hole in their marriage, it's something else to talk about. For Julia and Ro, panicky parents-to-be, it's yet another worry. Lonely bank manager Zara only came here for the view. While 87-year-old grandmother Estelle seems rather pleased by the company . . . As the police gather outside, the anxious strangers huddled within try to make the best of a very sticky situation - but could it be that they have a whole lot more in common than meets the eye? _______ Readers are loving Anxious People ! 'Backman never disappoints . . . heartwarming and multi layered' 5***** READER REVIEW 'As always Backman manages to delight . . . a really satisfying ending that makes you feel better about the world' 5***** READER REVIEW 'A wonderfully unusual tale, told with flair and finesse that is so wonderful it is sure to cure everything that ails you. Don't miss out on this beautiful book' 5***** READER REVIEW 'This novel is about humanity at its most raw and at its most wonderful and I LOVED it!' 5***** READER REVIEW

The funny, touching and unpredictable No. 1 New York Times bestseller, now a major Netflix TV series. From the author of MY FRIENDS, the Sunday Times Bestseller and Goodreads Choice Awards Fiction 2025 winner! 'A brilliant and comforting read' MATT HAIG 'Funny, compassionate and wise. An absolute joy' A.J. PEARCE 'A surefooted insight into the absurdity, beauty and ache of life' GUARDIAN 'I laughed, I sobbed, I recommended it to literally everyone I know' BUZZFEED 'Captures the messy essence of being human' WASHINGTON POST From the 18 million copy internationally bestselling author of A Man Called Ove _______ It's New Year's Eve and House Tricks estate agents are hosting an open viewing in an up-market apartment when an incompetent bank robber rushes in and politely takes everyone hostage. For Anna-Lena and Roger, busy buying-up apartments to fill the hole in their marriage, it's something else to talk about. For Julia and Ro, panicky parents-to-be, it's yet another worry. Lonely bank manager Zara only came here for the view. While 87-year-old grandmother Estelle seems rather pleased by the company . . . As the police gather outside, the anxious strangers huddled within try to make the best of a very sticky situation - but could it be that they have a whole lot more in common than meets the eye? _______ Readers are loving Anxious People ! 'Backman never disappoints . . . heartwarming and multi layered' 5***** READER REVIEW 'As always Backman manages to delight . . . a really satisfying ending that makes you feel better about the world' 5***** READER REVIEW 'A wonderfully unusual tale, told with flair and finesse that is so wonderful it is sure to cure everything that ails you. Don't miss out on this beautiful book' 5***** READER REVIEW 'This novel is about humanity at its most raw and at its most wonderful and I LOVED it!' 5***** READER REVIEW

An instant #1 New York Times bestseller, the new novel from the author of A Man Called Ove is a "quirky, big-hearted novel... .Wry, wise and often laugh-out-loud funny, it's a wholly original story that delivers pure pleasure" ( People ). 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 their own marriage. There's a wealthy bank director who has been too busy 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. 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 motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next. Proving once again that Backman is "a master of writing delightful, insightful, soulful, character-driven narratives" ( USA TODAY ), Anxious People "captures the messy essence of being human....It's clever and affecting, as likely to make you laugh out loud as it is to make you cry" ( The Washington Post ). This "endlessly entertaining mood-booster" ( Real Simple ) is proof that the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope can save us--even in the most anxious of times.