ANXIOUS PEOPLE

Marin Ireland uses her many theatrical gifts in her fine narration of this bittersweet novel. The listener is treated to an exceptional audio experience in which the narrator plays all the parts with nuance and wit. She modulates her pace and tone as she brings this human comedy to life. At once a send-up of Swedish mores and a deeply humane story of contemporary struggles, this novel has characters galore--a banker with a guilty conscience, a father-and-son police team, an inept bank robber who just wants to make rent, and an endearing 87-year-old woman who loves books, among others. Often laugh-out-loud funny, the set piece revolves around the taking of "the worst group of hostages ever." This is an audiobook to savor. A.D.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2020]