Man, people LOVE Frederik Backman (most famously, from what I can tell, A Man Called Ove) and I just can't stand him, I think. I did not like A Man Called Ove. It seemed so saccharine and predictable, but I'm trying Anxious People just because maybe Ove was a one-off?
But no, right away, I can tell the same tropes are being used. A horrible, awful downright tedious person. Someone I would probably murder if I knew in real life (and honestly, I do NOT make a habit of murdering people! Haven't even done it once so far, but would definitely give my first go if I met his characters) and then they turn out to be deeply hurt and damaged inside and you are supposed to forgive them, I guess, for being the worst assholes anyone's ever met?
I reject this entirely. Everyone is hurt and often deeply damaged inside the same way these asshole characters are in his books. But guess what? Like no one I've met in real life has managed to be such an asshole 100% of the time. 92%? Maybe! 75% certainly! But these people would definitely have been murdered by a fellow human for their horridness far before anyone got a chance to find out how hurt and damaged they were and that they are just lashing out and we should all just treat them even fucking better than all the characters already have been?
I'm sorry, I know this is will seem like a disproportionate rant but I honestly just don't know how his books are so universally loved. People really fucking love a goddamn redemption story I guess? I just want to see these people burn in hell, but I guess everyone else is happy that it is going to (so predictably!) end happily ever after with everyone learning more about their fellow humans and how we all just need to have a little more understanding of why these other people treat us like subhuman sludge and everything will work out super sweet.
Gross. me. out.
Tldr; 0/10 never recommend Frederik Backman.