Anxious People - A Review by Kyle Fan

     Years before the main story takes place, a man loses his entire savings in an investment that the bank told him will be risk-free; the bank tells him that they can't do anything about it. That man jumps off a bridge, and a young boy who, despite his best efforts, failed to stop him watches in horror as he descends. Years later, that boy becomes a police officer in the same town. Unrelated, a woman finds out her husband was cheating on her with her boss. That woman proceeds to lose her husband and job in a single day. If she is unable to obtain a house in a month, she loses custody of her children. A month passes, and the woman finds a very realistic-looking toy pistol in a pile of blankets. Hours later, she robs a bank; that bank is a cashless bank; cashless banks can't be robbed. That masked pistol-wielding woman runs across the street, flies up the stairs of an apartment complex, and runs into an apartment viewing. Inside are eight hostages, seven prospective buyers, and one real estate agent. The robber makes no demands and no gunshots are heard as the police surround the complex. Hours later, she sets the hostages free, and the police rush in. The apartment is empty except for a pool of blood in the center of it; there was nowhere to hide and nowhere to run.

    Anxious People masterfully wields suspense and lovable characters to make an engaging story that is much more joyful than it initially seems. This story doesn't follow a set flow of time, it flicks between different moments in time that are all pieces of a grand puzzle. Every single seemingly irrelevant character interaction in the book pushes the story or development of a character or the overall book in some way. The reader slowly uncovers what truly occurred in that apartment. However, this book's focus isn't the plot, it's its amazing characters. The eccentric personalities of those involved in the hostage situation and the police investigating it shine as they are revealed throughout the book. Even the characters that have zero redeeming qualities develop in believable ways and become lovable by the end of the book. Every character in this book has a problem they're dealing with; almost anybody can find at least one character with a problem they can relate to.

    This book isn't exactly believable; it pushes into the boundaries of realistic fiction, but that's part of its charm. How the robber disappeared from the apartment might not actually work in real life, but it is believable enough that the reader can suspend their disbelief. Another of the unbelievable things in this book is its quotes, but not in a bad way. The novel is packed with elegantly written world-changing quotes. Even the most idiotic characters will occasionally drop an astounding quote about the nature of our world or emotions.

    The masterful way this book is pieced together, its amazing characters and quotes, and its exciting feel-good ending make this book a must-read. I rate it 9 men on a bridge out of 10.