How to describe this book? It is clever, funny, interesting, and enjoyable – well, once you get into it and understand what it is. I had loved A Man Called Ove, and had been expecting a similarly straightforward, heartfelt story like that. Anxious People is very different, though every bit as adept at portraying people with issues and, in that regard, is just as satisfying.

The plot centers on a bank robbery, though we’re not talking a high-tech crime story. On the contrary, the bank robbery is almost an afterthought, like a child stealing an apple from a farm stand,. It is simply the trigger for a purely human story, with flashbacks to discouraged lives and squandered hopes. And yet, there is nothing depressing here.

The characters are colorful and quirky, and the author goes into their backgrounds just enough to anchor them to the plot and goad the reader to read on – and to care. I did care about these people. Very much.

I’m usually good at anticipating plot twists, but I missed some biggies here. And I loved that! This book kept me on my toes.

The narrator of the audiobook is perfect. I still hear her voice, whether speaking in the bored tones of the banker, the chirpy tones of the realtor, the frustrated ones of the father and son police team, and the fear and confusion of the bank robber.

Lives and the plot weave tightly together in this gem. I highly recommend it.