The Situation: This is a story about a bank robbery that never quite happened, and the hostage drama that took place afterwards. First there is the bank robber, who is, like many bank robbers, incredibly desperate and in a place where one bad decision easily leads to even worse one. Then there is Roger and Anna-Lena, an older, retired married couple who spends their time buying fixer-upper apartments, renovating them, and then reselling. Ro and Julia are expecting parents looking to find a home for their growing family. And Zara has spent her life making money instead learning how to be a decent, compassionate human being. It is during the apartment viewing put on by a real-estate agent for the House Tricks Estate Agency that the bank robber comes upon this random assortment of people. It will be some time before any of them, the bank robber included, realize that there is another person there who is currently locked inside of the bathroom. And then there is 87 year-old Estelle, who is still waiting on her husband who is outside parking the car.
The Problem: All of these people are idiots. And also the worst hostages ever. Granted, the bank robber is also the worst bank robber ever. The bank was never even robbed, and now it has unwittingly turned into a hostage situation. And despite the presence of a pistol, Roger is still focused on scaring off the potential competition so that he and Anna-Lena get the apartment; Julia manages to nag Ro about the smallest things; Estelle does not seem the slightest bit concerned about being held against her will at gun point; and Zara spends most of her time on the balcony, blasting music through her headphones. As a father-son team of police offices do their best to get everyone out safely, while also not having officials from Stockholm take over the entire operation, everyone gets to tell their story, revealing that no one is really all they seem to be, including the bank robber.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a fiction novel set in present-day Sweden. With several inter-connecting storylines, the focus shifts across many characters, and the story moves back and forth through time, showing how everyone got to this one strange moment. It is not as simple as someone waking up one day and deciding that they are going to rob a bank and take hostages. There is a string of events and circumstances that lead someone to believe that there is no way out...that robbing a bank is the only option left. Same for the one who decides to jump off of a bridge; the one who decides to take a bunch of pills; the one who decides to become a police officer; even the one who decides to lie about the husband that has been dead for quite some time. At first glance, these characters are terrible people, easily dismissed as people who should be left to their own miseries. But there is more to it than that (or perhaps less, depending on how you wish to look at it). Being human is hard, and these people are struggling.
My Verdict: This book is stressful. The title should have been an adequate enough warning for that, but somehow I still was not prepared. And by the end of it, I was exhausted and I could feel my brain breathe a sigh of relief that it was finally over. But even though the book is both stressful and exhausting, it does not mean it is bad. In fact, it is funny, insightful, and a great adventure that feels like you are on a boat tour you were excited about, but with a bunch of annoying people, and the tour guide has just announced that the boat's engine has failed and it will be awhile before help arrives. You want to finish the tour, but you also really need to get away from the other passengers. The people are tiresome, but they are still people, and they are doing the best they can, just like everyone else. It is a humorous peak at humanity, and an exploration of the idea that we must keep trying, even if we suspect it will all fall apart in the end.
Favorite Moment: This book is full of reveals, and it would be impossible to talk about my favorite one without spoiling a major plot point. Suffice it to say that nothing, absolutely nothing, is at it seems.
Favorite Character: Estelle is the sweet older woman who has no reason to trust a stranger, but would offer you a ride if she saw you out walking in bad weather. She is almost too old to be concerned with that kind of stuff anymore.
Recommended Reading: The beginning of this book reminded me a great deal of Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. I know that book has frustrated many, but I mention it because I want readers to be adequately prepared for the frustration the beginning of Anxious People may bring them.
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