Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

In September, we read Rebecca's pick Anxious People by the Swedish writer Fredrik Backman. Many were familiar with the author and have read some of his other novels. This book is about a hostage situation but addressed in a humorous way. For example, the hostages who are being held at gunpoint in an apartment building tell the police officers surrounding the building that they would like to order pizza. Although the characters are dealing with very heavy issues such as divorce, addiction, and death (and being held at gunpoint) the author reminds us not to take life too seriously by mixing in some ridiculous situations that help the reader view things from a lighter angle.

Reception of the book was positive. Although some thought the humor was a bit forced at times, we liked how the storylines of the characters interweaved with each other. We also thought it was interesting how the author tested our biases.

We had a hybrid in-person and on-line meeting. The covid virus is mutating into variants, so the folks meeting in person were outside (in Rebecca's lovely backyard) and sometimes wore masks. Unfortunately, Lisa could not join us because she was enjoying the US Open in NY with her mom. Hopefully, we'll all meet in person some day in the future. Until then, everyone stay safe out there.

(Famous Fruit Tart by Heidi)