When the hostages are given pizza, it’s a natural progression of events.

How many loaves of sourdough bread did we make this spring? How many fluffy coffees? For many, newly adjusting to being at home all the time, schedules have been thrown, food anxiety has been a prevalent part of this pandemic. He describes it as a hunger, a broken firewall, insecurity, an expense, an urge, and noise. Anxiety as a hunger, like Ro reaching for the bowl of decorative limes just to quiet the buzz of fear and panic. Throughout the novel, Backman introduces us to the ways anxiety and trauma can manifest in different people. The best thing, in both situations is just to stay put. Then, inside the world of Anxious People, these strangers who just wanted to look at a nice little apartment, a place to live and dream and be, are suddenly forced to stay there because they are being held hostage. Here we were in the real world, stuck inside our homes, with our families or roommates, waiting out the hostile situation of a pandemic. Somehow, the eight strangers brought together in Anxious People felt too intimate, too much. Backman’s novels often feature an ensemble cast, all of a hockey village in Beartown, the residents of an apartment building in My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry. That was one of the criticisms I saw over and over again, on social media and in traditional reviews: that Anxious People has too many characters. It’s messy, convoluted, funny, heartbreaking, and full of people. By signing up you agree to our terms of useĪnxious People is 2020. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.

Backman anxious people