Anxious People

A Novel

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published Sept. 8, 2020 by Atria Books.

ISBN:
978-1-5011-6083-7
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ASIN:
1501160834

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4 stars (5 reviews)

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, 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 …

4 editions

Love love loved this!

5 stars

Man called Ove, but more hopeful and chaotic throughout. Honestly felt this was a little smidge better than Ove.

Loved watching the characters work through their issues during a "hostage situation" and learn how to accept themselves after the changes that life has thrown at them. It was fast-paced and sarcastic in just the right way. It's not all happy all the time, and it covers some heavy issues, but it's not done to bring you down and make you sad. I definitely recommend this one and will be keeping my physical copy.

Review of 'Anxious People' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

There are two kinds of favourite books for me; one where every chapter brings with it a fresh wave of insights about things hitherto unclear for me, and another where I get amazed by the love, understanding and empathy that is on display throughout the book. I guess this is the age-old debate of reading for pleasure and utility, between fiction and non-fiction.

I don't have anything new to add to the conversation, except that there's a place in my heart which longs for warm, fuzzy feelings - emotions that I only get from reading certain kinds of fiction. Zen Pencils is one of them. All the Light We Cannot See and The Book Thief belong there. This book marks another entry to that club. Such a joy all throughout!

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4 stars
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rated it

4 stars