Fredrik Backman - Anxious People

Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths.
First is Zara, a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else until tragedy changed her life. Now, she’s obsessed with visiting open houses to see how ordinary people live—and, perhaps, to set an old wrong to right. Then there’s Roger and Anna-Lena, an Ikea-addicted retired couple who are on a never-ending hunt for fixer-uppers to hide the fact that they don’t know how to fix their own failing marriage. Julia and Ro are a young lesbian couple and soon-to-be parents who are nervous about their chances for a successful life together since they can’t agree on anything. And there’s Estelle, an eighty-year-old woman who has lived long enough to be unimpressed by a masked bank robber waving a gun in her face. And despite the story she tells them all, Estelle hasn’t really come to the apartment to view it for her daughter, and her husband really isn’t outside parking the car.
As police surround the premises and television channels broadcast the hostage situation live, the tension mounts and even deeper secrets are slowly revealed. Before long, the robber must decide which is the more terrifying prospect: going out to face the police, or staying in the apartment with this group of impossible people.
Rich with Fredrik Backman’s “pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature” (Shelf Awareness), Anxious People’s whimsical plot serves up unforgettable insights into the human condition and a gentle reminder to be compassionate to all the anxious people we encounter every day.

Comment: This is the fourth book I try by this author but I was not planning on reading more, to be honest. Still, this and another title I had not previously read seem to be available at the library so I've brought this one...and will likely read the other some day.

This story begins with a bank robbery but things go horribly wrong. The bank robber doesn't seem to be very certain of what is happening and how things should proceed and then decides to escape by entering an apartment which was open door. However, the people touring the apartment become very bothersome hostages, for they are incredibly willful and have too strong personalities. This turns out to be a positive thing for the robber, though, when the police is doing interrogations, because it seems the robber had a very good reason to think it would be a good idea to rob a bank...

After reading four books by this author I can say I have liked them all, but half of them had fit my taste perfectly, while the others were not as on point. This means that while I really appreciate the author's style as a whole, there are certainly stories - I can already anticipate this - in which the style is perfection and others where it feels tiresome.

For this book, the author intended to mix up comedy and social commentary. This is not a sweet story like A Man Called Ove, nor a character study as Beartown - these are my personal views on those books - but an almost satirical commentary one can find in a comedy or errors, in which ridiculous things happen in a way meant to seem funny or as if it's a comedy. Sadly, to me, I've failed to see it that way and my average focus only settled on how ridiculous some situations were. I can understand where the author was going with this story but I didn't like it that much.

I did like it that the author used this apparently silly story to criticize many things we see in most western societies, such as the pressure put on people to perform at work and in their daily lives and how so much is set on economy and markets, which glaring induce people to make certain's choices, especially when it comes to money and investments and so on. The bank robbing situation was kind of related to this, but the author found a way to involve all the characters in a chain of reactions, by placing them all in positions in which their lives touch one another more than what it should.

Thus, the two elements I've liked the most were these: the food for thought gained by having some characters say certain things sometimes and how this can translate into everyday life, and how the apparently random characters in an open house are linked so much more ewe would assume, which later includes the policemen and one or two other secondary characters. As I have seen in the other books, this author is a very good planner and has very compelling ideas behind everything.

Unfortunately, I simply did not enjoy the writing style here. The story feels cluttered with all the change of narrative and the interrogations of the hostages. The style was too much like a silly comedy and I did not find it fun. In fact, I was rather annoyed at how absurd this was, to the point of it being so over the top and so irritating that I've found myself skipping some of the interrogations. This certainly did not match the wonder of the books I liked the most by the author, in which similar tactics to use comedy worked out so well. I cannot explain it, but here it simply didn't suit me.

When everything is solved and the explanations done, and the fates of the characters known, for of course there had to be a reason for those characters to be part of this plot, I can say I was glad the book was over and I could jump into a new one. This isn't a bad book, but it didn't offer what I imagined with such a premise, and any positive aspects that could be gained by closure were kind of lost among the irritation with the things I liked less.

Grade: 5/10

Fredrik Backman - The Winners

This is a small story about big questions.
It's a story about family, community, life.
It starts with a storm - and a death.
But how does it end?
Two years have passed since the events that no one wants to think about. Everyone has tried to move
on, but there’s something about this place that prevents it. The residents continue to grapple with life’s big questions: What is a family? What is a community? And what, if anything, are we willing to sacrifice in order to protect them?
As the locals of Beartown struggle to overcome the past, great change is on the horizon. Someone is coming home after a long time away. Someone will be laid to rest. Someone will fall in love, someone will try to fix their marriage, and someone will do anything to save their children. Someone will submit to hate, someone will fight, and someone will grab a gun and walk towards the ice rink.
So what are the residents of Beartown willing to sacrifice for their home?
Everything.

Comment: This is the third book in the Beartown trilogy by author Fredrik Backman, a sort of community saga about the lives of the inhabitants of Hed and Beartown, small towns in the north of Sweden, linked by hockey and all the expectations set on the success of its teams, and the intense rivalry between them.

In the first book a despicable event changed the lives of everyone, and in the second book everyone had to deal with the consequences. Now, in this final book, it's time to think about the future and how certain details, apparently unimportant, actually have a much broader impact then people would expect. When a death within the community happens, previous characters, namely Maya and Benji, who left at the end of book #2, return to pay homage but their presence will also have an impact on developing situations. Could it be that more tragedy is on the path of Hed and Beartown or has everyone already learned their lesson?

I will say that in terms of narrative style and emotional content, this book is pretty much in par with the others, with the lives and steps taken by the characters described with detail, which makes the reader able to understand all the nuances. At the same time, the author used a certain technique in these books, where he writes things such as " they didn't know it was the last time they would do it" or "if only they had chosen to do this instead", which means there's some premonition about possible situations and, to make it really dramatic, one can foresee those would be dramatic things.

In the first book this, along with all the emotional baggage and the grayness of all the characters with an important role made me love and cherish the story. In the second book, it was all too much about politics and consequences but it felt as if the story was too disperse... I liked it but less than the first. Sadly, I have to say this was even weaker to me, because all the elements I loved in book #1 seemed to annoy me in this 3rd one, mainly the fact I felt as if there was no cohesion and no purpose in the plot. It felt as if it went nowhere except to create chaos and justify is as human idiosyncrasies or something.

The plot is rather simple, actually, mainly some people come back, others have changed the course of their lives, characters we didn't know existed are now key protagonists and so on, which - and I might be unfair in this but it's just my impression! - makes me think the author might have planned the story to be two books and this third one was a necessity after success, meaning it feels it was not as much a part of the story. Even the second book could have been edited but perhaps the author already planned by then to write this one. 

So, at the end, the plot here went nowhere really special and, unlike what the title suggest, nowhere near positivism nor was it uplifting as I imagined... Life isn't all happy stuff, but I expected the goal would be to present something to look for here, instead of only inferences I might do on my own.

Thinking of this, I also have to mention the fact the whole story seemed to be a little restrictive. I know the idea was to highlight the sometimes incomprehensible notion of rivalry in sports and among people whose lives are defined by boundaries, but this is still set in modern times, could these people in both towns, truly be so blind for everything else except this rivalry? I kind of miss something more, and wish the author could have added more diversity to people's lives, and not base every aspect of everyone's personality on the hockey rivalry.

As one can imagine, a huge part of the story's interest resides on the emotional attachment we have with certain characters. I know it cannot be everyone has happy endings or amazing ones, but I feel divided in my feelings because while I appreciate the author's intentions, I still feel a little annoyed at some of his decisions regarding two or three characters. I really think at some point some editing could have helped at least, but even without it, some things were taken too far and in a way which I didn't see as necessary for that character's arc or to justify its importance in the story.

All things considered, I've found reading this was exciting at first but the more I went, the less intriguing it got and I admit to have skimmed many pages where some characters are dealing with politics and repetitive situations.

Grade: 6/10

Fredrik Backman - Us Against You

Beartown is dying . . .
Tucked in a forest in the frozen north, Beartown's residents are tough and hardworking. They don't expect life to be easy, but they do expect it to be fair.
Which is why the sudden loss of their hockey players to the rival town of Hed hurts. Everyone needs something to cheer for in the long winter nights. Now they have nothing.
So when a new star player arrives, Coach Peter sees an opportunity to rebuild the team - to take on Hed and restore Beartown's fortunes. But not everyone in town sees it his way.
As the big game between both towns approaches, the rivalry turns bitter and all too real. Once the stands rumbled with threats to 'kill' and 'ruin' each other, but the residents didn't mean it. Now they do.
By the time the last goal is scored, someone in Beartown will be dead . . .
Us Against You is the story of two towns, two teams and what it means to believe in something bigger than yourself. It's about how people come together - sometimes in anger, often in sorrow, but also through love. And how, when we stand together, we can bring a town back to life.

Comment: Last year, I've read the first book in this Beartown trilogy and I liked it quite a lot. I've been waiting for the other books to also be available in paperback and now that the third is finally on its way, I've read this second one so not much longer passes between this and the last book.

In this second installment, the events start pretty much right after what happened at the end of the other book. Everyone in Beartown is still debating and processing what happened and Maya and her friend Ana are spending the summer camping and being alone. But there will be changes, something politician Richard Theo wants to use to his advantage, making him do things behind everyone's back but making it seem he is just someone helping.... One thing which is inescapable is that Kevin and his mother leave, his father leaves alone and now most players who were with Kevin are now in Hed. The animosity between the two towns reaches incredible levels, but in the end, what is the price of identity? Will the actions of some people in Beartown and some people in Hed have any kind of repercussion which all cannot escape from?

In this book, some of the characteristics I've loved in the first book now seemed a bit more negatively glaring and I must confess I wasn't as dazzled by the overall effect. I'm particularly thinking about the writing style, told in a sequence of short sentences, more like ideas or thoughts instead of an actual linear sequence. This was one aspect I found amazing in the first book and now felt a bit too repetitive and simplistic. There were a few situations I wish had been developed more but this writing style isn't conductive to it.

Even having this in mind, however, I liked reading the book and seeing what would happen. The first book is mainly focused on a big plot event and many secondary things before and after. Now we have this second book, which is clearly a transition one since there is a third but thinking of what happens here, I have to wonder if the author hadn't planned things to be divided into only two books? The way this book ends makes it very, very easy indeed to imagine it would happen this way and not having more would not be seen as a bad thing.

Since there is a third book, and knowing the author has this habit of leading up situations to a certain point which feels obvious and then isn't, I surely hope certain details here will have a turn around in the final installment and I hope it will be in a happier tone than this one, which was more focused on the negative repercussions and not so good choices some characters made. I'm especially thinking about certain characters whose emotions and decisions here had center stage and I hope to see more of them, namely Maya, Benji and Peter, all in different stages of their lives, with specific features I'm interested in seeing how the author develops/improves.

The big focus in this book is still the hockey situation and how teams now must deal with what happened. I don't mind the sport conversations and the clear rivalry between Hed and Beartown but I must say it can get on one's nerves how so much is set on this, instead of us seeing how the personal lives of the characters truly are affected, I would have liked more about them individually (and on their emotional development) instead of what it means for the group mentality.

For instance, Maya is still delaying with what happened to her and I wish we see more about her therapy and improvement instead of how she copes and how she is being mistreated by others. Benji is gay and here he has a one night stand with someone who turns out to be a surprise and this is barely exploited. It felt as if the author is only adding ideas and we can imagine whatever we want, then something happens and we must color any knowledge under those things, often very radically presented.... I mean, this isn't too bad, true and is quite innovative writing for the type of story but I would have preferred more actual interactions between characters (and more positive ones at that)!

It is true this is emotional and makes it easier to imagine what if it was us in this or that situation and there were a few scenes I was fascinated by. But the politics and the continuous highlight on what is mostly negative that came out of the events of the first book were a little disappointing. There are also good things but mainly at the end... I hope the final book will be more optimistic because while life isn't only good things or upbeat reactions all the time, it isn't all so bad either.

Grade: 7/10

Fredrik Backman - Beartown

In a large Swedish forest, Beartown hides a dark secret . . .
Cut-off from everywhere else it experiences the kind of isolation that tears people apart.
And each year more and more of the town is swallowed by the forest.
Then the town is offered a bright new future.
But it is all put in jeopardy by a single, brutal act.
It divides the town into those who think it should be hushed up and forgotten, and those who'll risk the future to see justice done.
Who will speak up?
Could you stand by and stay silent?
Or would you risk everything for justice?
Which side would you be on?

Comment: I was given this book for Christmas and only now did I pick it. What a shame, especially since this ended up being a provocative but engrossing read.

In this novel we follow the inhabitants of Beartown, a Swedish rural town, which is seeing a desertification, because there aren't enough things anymore and it feels as if the place is losing its identity and life. One thing that is defended and liked by the vast majority is the hockey team, and the players are seen as idols by everyone, responsible for keeping the town's pride and name. However, they are all teenagers, shaping their lives and with personal fears and preferences. When the main player - privileged and idolized - commits a mistake, what will people say and do? Will they defend him still or will they condemn him? The whole town has an opinion, but what is really at the base of this feeling, are these people truly entitled to think the way they do?

This was a surprisingly engrossing book. I had read another one by the author and liked it but it felt as if the purpose was too obvious, even if the story was appealing. This time, I was surprised by the opposite: certain elements in the story were about unappealing issues but the path chosen by the author to develop the plot was less obvious. I must say I had a great time reading because I wanted to know what would happen next and how would the characters react.

The plot is apparently simple: a small town, which has lost inhabitants and businesses and amenities has been forgotten with time except for the hockey teams, which still motivate practically everyone, even though it's teams of school kids. One of them, Kevin, a single child, is considered a very good player and will likely become a professional player. Centering the success of the team on him, though, means everyone else knows they are second best and he feels he might do anything. One night, following the successful win at a game, Kevin has a party at his house and he goes too far with a girl. The repercussions are clear, those who believe him and those who believe her.

I found this story to be so amazing because while the reader is clearly set up to defend one side - there's no way the victim isn't the girl - we also get to understand the POV and the feelings of everyone involved, from Kevin to the girl (Maya), as well as the other players, parents, inhabitants of the town... the group mentality installed among these people can be a strong force, one we can recognize in so many small places, where the identity of the place is the most important thing to uphold, as long as everyone behaves a certain way.

In this case, the main theme is hockey and how everyone bets their chances of being proud on the boy's teams and how special they make everyone feel because of their success and attitude. I really liked to have a specific idea of every characters' personality and how strong willed or not they all are, whether they were thinking about the importance of the team or about their own issues. Nevertheless, since the plot goes in a direction which affects how people look at something they didn't feel/live themselves - a girl's rape - it was certainly interesting to see how she is seen by others, more so when the boy accused is someone they worship and don't want to believe would do such a thing.

Of course, the act itself is a crime and the author exploits a lot of what is said in such cases, both bad and good. But it was also very well done how we are placed in most characters' heads, including Kevin's, and we get to see why he felt he could lose control and do that. It's not an excuse, but it definitely shows how easy it is for someone, in the specific frame of mind which makes it possible and bearing in mind what contributes to it, to do wrong things and made feel as if he isn't to blame.

I really liked getting to know some characters and see how they lived this situation, for even those not directly linked to the rape felt they were affected by it. I liked we had different ideas to think about and that the author never says what he thinks. Still, there are always reasons why people follow an idea or a behavior and not others. I found that the kids were heavily influenced by their parents and how easy it is for us to perpetuate what we are told we should do. This means I liked it even more when some of the teenagers revealed a strong will and made decisions based on what they felt was right.

This was a superb read for me. The theme is harsh but it's not unbearable because Maya also grows and changes after what happened but she kept on being a mature person, who reacted as she was able. 

I see there's a continuation and I will want to see what happens next.

Grade: 9/10

Fredrik Backman - A Man Called Ove

A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.
Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?
Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.

Comment: Of course I had heard things about this book, it had quite the hype at some point and several of my reading acquaintances/friends have read it or added it to their TBR. I had nothing against it but I wasn't planning on reading it until I saw it was available at my local library. I thought "why not" and brought it with me since it isn't even a big book.

In this sweet story we meet grumpy Ove, an almost 60 year old Swedish man who is angry at having been told to "take things easy" and to "take time to rest" at work, making him practically unemployed or retired, he can't exactly say, but he does have a lot of time now. He is known for his adherence to rules, to maintain routines and a steady eye on everything that happens in the neighborhood. However, he has a secret, he is planning on committing suicide, because without his work he feels he has no reason to keep going, even more so since his beloved wife has died and he is al alone. The problem is to actually have the time for it, because it seems everyone and everything gets on his way, in particular the new neighbors, who can't seem to function without his help...

I agree this is a sweet story. It was easy to read, fluid, the writing style mostly appealing and I liked how Ove and the other characters would be going on with their lives but, more or less in alternate chapters, we also have glimpses of events which happened in the past. These things are told in small installments, let's say so, and that allows the reader to start guessing reasons for certain behaviors, choices, etc.

The book isn't too long so it was a relatively quick read and one quite easy to read, I turned the pages eagerly too, for the simplicity of the story made it possible to understand what was going on and that is, basically, the fact Ove is a man who has no time for excuses nor for the things he deems illogical but he is a tender and honorable man, who is there when it is really necessary. The dichotomy between who he seems to be and who he really is was well done by the author, and "discovering" the little things about Ove was a wonderful experience.

One could say the book mentions several issues related to how society is nowadays and the relationships between people. The action takes place n Sweden but I think what is said can be universally recognized and can make one think. I wouldn't go as far as to say the author wanted to prove some kind of argument but it is true there's a very thin line between what is perceived as "private issues vs "none of one's business" and how we see these things everywhere. However, how much less fun this could be if Ove were to be by himself as easily as he could?

There are moments in Ove's past which are, indeed, unfair and sad. There are others where he was able to maintain his values and views in detriment of his own benefit. I can't help but be in awe of someone who can do it all the time (I'm not talking about life and death scenarios here) and this makes Ove someone really special, even though he isn't a friendly person. At the same time, how unlikely it would be for this story to happen, there were some scenes I found a little too convenient and embracing many current issues, which, again, the author was able to insert apparently easily. 

I also found that some situations were a little "staged" for us to have the best effect off them but I don't think this distracts the reader too much from the good things or the sweet, poignant ones.

Of course this won't work for everyone but it worked for me and I had a good time reading. There are some passages on getting older, on time passing by that are quite to the point, after all most of us will, indeed, get old and face new realities. I see there's a movie, I'll try to watch it when it airs on TV.

Grade: 8/10