Anxious People

　　紐約時報百萬暢銷作家－菲特烈．貝克曼全新小說作品
 
　　一場銀行搶劫莫名其妙變成人質挾持事件，一處開放參觀的待售公寓莫名其妙變成犯罪地點，促成八個人的相遇
 
　　令人捧腹大笑，卻又萬分感動，埋藏著人心美好之作
 
　　瑞典的這個小鎮上，以為又將是平凡度過的這一天，把鏡頭移到銀行的附近，會發現有個人帶著奇怪的面具，正緩緩靠近銀行…
 
　　本來參觀房地產也不是一個什麼生死關頭的行為，誰知道突然闖進不知哪來的銀行搶劫犯，還是失敗的那種，一股腦地把裡面的人都挾持了。偏偏這群人質的組成實在是不能再更糟了：一對熱愛搶購中古屋準備翻修轉賣，卻不願意修復自己婚姻的夫妻；一個成功的銀行經理，後悔自己曾經過度投入工作，沒有珍惜過身邊的人；一對即將迎來新生命的情侶，可是他們好像對任何事情都沒有共識；一位80多歲的老奶奶，見多識廣的她面對威脅仍能保持鎮定。不過這位老奶奶也沒說實話，因為她並非真的要替女兒看房子，她的丈夫也沒有在外頭找車位。
 
　　屋內的壓力隨著警方和記者包圍公寓而攀升，這群陌生人在緊張的氣氛下開始分享內心最深的秘密，很快地，搶匪發現他必須作出抉擇：應該踏出去向警方自首，還是繼續跟這群怪人待在這間屋子裡？
 
　　 (文／博客來外文館)

An instant #1 New York Times bestseller, the new novel from the author of A Man Called Ove is a ＂quirky, big-hearted novel....Wry, wise, and often laugh-out-loud funny, it’s a wholly original story that delivers pure pleasure＂ (People).

Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world.

Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them--the bank robber included--desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises, these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.

Proving once again that Backman is ＂a master of writing delightful, insightful, soulful, character-driven narratives＂ (USA TODAY), Anxious People ＂captures the messy essence of being human....It’s clever and affecting, as likely to make you laugh out loud as it is to make you cry＂ (TheWashington Post). This ＂endlessly entertaining mood-booster＂ (Real Simple) is proof that the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope can save us--even in the most anxious of times.

Fredrik Backman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, and Anxious People, as well as two novellas and one work of nonfiction. His books are published in more than forty countries. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter @BackmanLand and on Instagram @Backmansk.