Anxious People in DMPL Book Chat

Jun 22, 2021 Karna Converse rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Storyline with laugh-out-loud moments on one page and somber introspective reflections on another

There's much to love about how Backman mixes light-hearted (and almost flippant, throwaway) thoughts with serious commentary about family relationships, male relationships, youth and the Internet, death, financial and housing markets, and marriage. He begins his witty word choices in the dedication—"to the voices in my head, the most remarkable of my friends. And to my wife, who lives with us."—and c Storyline with laugh-out-loud moments on one page and somber introspective reflections on another

There's much to love about how Backman mixes light-hearted (and almost flippant, throwaway) thoughts with serious commentary about family relationships, male relationships, youth and the Internet, death, financial and housing markets, and marriage. He begins his witty word choices in the dedication—"to the voices in my head, the most remarkable of my friends. And to my wife, who lives with us."—and carries this fun-loving tone through a weaving narrative that exposes new details slowly, subtly, and only when they're vital to how the storyline is unfolding.

Backman shows us characters who are truly anxious—not just worried—and offers a glimpse of the many ways people cope with the challenges and problems that come their way. I appreciated how Backman shows that such a diverse group of people can randomly come into contact and get to know each other in such a way that each of their individual anxieties are lessened. The world would be a better place if we all took this advice shared by one of the characters: "Plant an apple tree today, even if you know the world is going to be destroyed tomorrow."

Other lines I highlighted:

Pg 57: Anyone can nurture a myth about their life if they have enough manure, so if the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, that’s probably because it’s full of shit.

Unsure of page number, about 70% into novel: “You’re talking like I’d be happy if people got divorced. No one can go to two thousand apartment viewings and not realize that there’s more love in the world than the opposite.” . . . “What do you base that on?” The rabbit’s ears quivered. “All the apartments that aren’t for sale.”

Pg 324: If our past was all that defined us, we'd never be able to put up with ourselves. We need to be allowed to convince ourselves that we're more than the mistakes we made yesterday. That we are all of our next choices, too, all of our tomorrows. ...more

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Sep 22, 2020 Shannon rated it it was amazing

Shelves: botm, netgalley, 2020

“This is a story about idiots.”

Who can’t love a book with this sentence?

I had no idea what this book was about. I just knew that I loved Fredrik Backman books. From this beginning this book had me laughing out loud, saying WTCrap, and wanting to hug everyone…except the rabbit.

At the crux of it, this book is about being human. We all have insecurities with the people we love the most, and we all fumble with these insecurities. We want to be the best for people. There are times in our lives tha ...more

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