A bank robber walks into a bank. Now, you don’t walk into a bank wearing a balaclava and holding a pistol for any other reason than to say, ‘This is a stick-up’. The teller has a bit of a laugh; after all, it’s a cashless bank. In a panic, the robber runs across the road into an apartment block, finds an open door, rushes inside waving the pistol, still clad in the balaclava. The apartment is for sale and has an ‘open for inspection’ in progress.

The people inside stare in shock. The robber, also in shock, stares back at them through the holes in the balaclava. The people think, is this their last day on Earth? The robber thinks, this day is simply not going as expected. This is all I’m going to tell you. You need to find the rest out for yourself.

The characters in Anxious People are all as complicated as you and me. The event they all share exposes their problems and strengths, eventually changing them.

One thing you do need to know is that this clever book is a cracker. I kept being constantly surprised and delighted, then thoughtful and sad, then bursting out laughing. I read it over a weekend and I think that’s the best way to read it. Devour it. That will help you keep up with the twists, unexpected connections and the fun.

Anxious People may never be nominated for the Booker Prize, but that is not its worth. The value is in its real charm and enormous pleasure it gives to the reader. That’s worth a zillion stars in my eyes. It’s what all of us need in a pandemic world. I loved it.

Reviewed by Rowena Morcom