Anxious People

What drives anxiety? It could be unpredictable situations. Or unpredictable people. Or a rather horrible concoction of them both. It all boils down to a feeling of relentless hopelessness. A feeling of loss. A feeling that you can’t go on anymore as everything (or everyone) in your life is spinning out of control.

So what would you do? Not something stupid like rob a bank of course. Or jump off a bridge. The smart thing to do would be to get help. Speak to someone or see a therapist. But – what if you don’t have anyone to talk to? Nor have the sufficient funds required to see a therapist? Should you jump off a bridge then?

This is a story about a bridge, and idiots, and a hostage drama, and an apartment viewing. But it’s also a love story. Several in fact.

Fredrik Backman is more renowned for his novel A man called Ove. However, Anxious People is my first read by the author and I have to say it was quite eye opening! His writing style, themes, characters were all very REAL. The novel in itself mirrors society’s most vulnerable elements. Exploring pressing topics like mental health, suicide, love and marriage; Backman has stitched up a story that will keep you hooked to the end.

It goes without saying that the novel’s most alluring feature are its rather revolutionary “truth bombs” that are dropped every few pages. Here are a few of my favorites:

On the woes of adulthood:

Because there’s such an unbelievable amount that we’re all supposed to be able to cope with these days. You’re supposed to have a job, and somewhere to live, and a family, and you’re supposed to pay taxes and have clean underwear and remember the password to your damn Wi-Fi…Because the terrible thing about being an adult is being forced to realize that absolutely nobody cares about us and we have to deal with everything ourselves now, find out how the whole world works.

On always being judged when you’re a parent:

Do you know what the worst thing about being a parent is? That you’re always judged by your worst moments…Parents are defined by their mistakes

The confusing rules of society that we never seem to get:

It’s hardly surprising that people get confused and society is going to the dogs when it’s full of caffeine-free coffee, gluten free bread, alcohol-free beer.

The relativity of happiness:

The problem is that everything is relative, happiness is based on expectations, and we have the Internet now. A whole world constantly asking us: But is your life as perfect as this?

On forcing religion:

…because although you might be able to drum religion into people, you can’t teach faith.

On living with anxiety:

…the most human things about anxiety us that we try to cure chaos with chaos. Someone who has got themselves into a catastrophic situation rarely retreats from it, we’re far more inclined to carry on even faster.

On marriage:

He says you end up marrying the one you don’t understand. Then you spend the rest of your life trying.

On loneliness:

…loneliness is like starvation. You don’t realize how hungry you are until you begin to eat.

And finally how do you cope? What do you do when everything is going wrong?

…nothing in the world is so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor…humor is the soul’s last line of defense, and as long as we’re laughing we’re alive…

The list is rather endless and I have shared what I thought was most acute. That being said the story was confusing at points due to the multiple plots, huge cast of characters and the jump in timelines. However, Backman has made up for it by including a mystery (that of the robbery) and injecting an element of suspense that keeps you going till the end.

Final thoughts

Completely ridiculous and extremely profound, this book will leave you baffled for quite some time. I was hooked due to the “who dunnit” trope and the realistic elements; but what kept me going were the characters. Very realistic and thought provoking. Backman has done a fantastic job holding up a mirror to society and capturing the most intimate thoughts that plague our minds.