Anxious People

by Fredrik Backman

when she died, the bank robber’s mom consisted of so much gin and tonic that they didn’t dare cremate her because of the risk of explosion,

sometimes it’s easier to live with your own anxieties if you know that no one else is happy, either.

We give those we love nicknames, because love requires a word that belongs to us alone.

an affair requires planning. Perhaps that’s what hurts most of all, the millions of tiny clues that you didn’t notice.

happiness is based on expectations, and we have the Internet now. A whole world constantly asking us: “But is your life as perfect as this? Well? How about now? Is it as perfect as this? If it isn’t, change it!”

Zara has the sort of career which, if you do it for long enough, sometimes means you have to seek professional help to get instructions on what you can do with your life beyond having a career.

loneliness is like starvation, you don’t realize how hungry you are until you begin to eat.