Anxious People, published in 2020, is a novel by Fredrik Backman, bestselling author of A Man Called Ove. In my opinion, Backman is the perfect author to read in the colder months. His books usually take place in Sweden, with lots of snow and scarves and coffee to set a cozy scene. And on top of that, his particular brand of heart and humor never fails to warm the insides. Anxious People follows through on both of these counts — set in a small town just outside Stockholm, the novel follows a group of people who find unexpected connection when an attempted bank robbery goes awry on New Year’s Eve. It all begins when our bank robber attempts to rob a cashless bank, failing miserably and fleeing the scene. In the building next door, a real estate agent is showing an apartment to a group of wildly different individuals; there’s a young couple expecting a baby, a lonely elderly woman, a retired couple who spends all their time at IKEA, a financial titan contemplating suicide, and a man wearing a rabbit head. When the robber runs into the apartment to hide from the police, the showing suddenly becomes a haphazard hostage situation, and the prospective buyers find themselves stuck with each other whether they like it or not. We watch the police trying to solve the case from the outside and the hostages attempt to understand things from the inside, and as the day progresses, all come to realize this unexpected situation might just be exactly what everyone needs.

This book came to me at just the right time. All the books on my to-read list seemed emotionally heavy and I was looking for something light to lift my mood, when I happened to remember an old recommendation from a friend. And now, I can wholeheartedly recommend it to you. One of my favorite things about Anxious People is how playful it is, which is quite unexpected for a novel about bank robbers and hostages. The third-person narrator constantly pokes fun at the characters, pointing out their quirks and imperfections, and does so with kindness as if to remind us to laugh at ourselves every once in a while. This playfulness carries through to the relationships between characters — unlikely friendships tend to be a common theme in Backman’s novels, and the various odd couples in this book made me laugh as much as they warmed my heart. Backman balances out the humor with a hearty helping of reality, and doesn’t shy away from topics like suicide and divorce, but rather addresses them with deep insight and care. Also impressive is the way Backman gradually parcels out information through police interviews and backstories so that the reader gets to fit the characters’ stories together like a jigsaw puzzle. Anxious People is the perfect light read — wise, uplifting, and very, very funny — I absolutely loved it.

I’d recommend this book to…

• Anyone looking for a life-affirming novel that doesn’t take itself too seriously… it’s similar in tone to Midnight Library by Matt Haig
• Anyone who loves quirky, unique, and ultimately endearing characters… it’s similar in style to All Adults Here by Emma Straub
• Anyone who enjoys when the universe makes unlikely friends out of mismatched individuals… it’s similar in theme to Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty