Anxious People

Consider the chapters that take the form of interview transcripts. How do they differ in style from the rest of the novel? What purpose does this serve?

Consider how the narrator withholds key details from the reader until near the end of the novel. Why do you think the narrator does this? What effect does it have on the story and plot?

The bridge is an important symbol for many of the characters. Choose three characters and explore what the bridge means to them. How does this meaning shift from the beginning of the novel until the end?

Why does the narrator repeatedly refer to the characters as “idiots”? What does the narrator mean by this term? And how does this meaning shift throughout the novel?

The characters are all very different, and yet they leave the hostage situation as friends. Explore how the characters overcome their anxieties and become friends while being held hostage. What commentary is the narrator making regarding the remedy for anxiety?

In Chapter 36, the narrator says, “Everyone inside the apartment had their own complexes, their own demons and anxieties” (156). How are these qualities distinct in each character? How are they similar? Taking this into account, why do you think the author chose the title?

“Stockholm” is a word that means many things throughout the novel. In Chapter 36, the narrator describes some of the different ways that Stockholm is defined. Choose three different instances of how this term is defined and explore the significance in relation to the idea of “Stockholm syndrome.”

In Chapter 68, Lennart says that there’s “something romantic about the thought of all the apartments that aren’t for sale” (313). What does Lennart mean by this statement? Use textual evidence to support your answer.