I liked this book a lot, it was nearly a five star read for me. What made me drop a star is I felt the ending was abrupt and I wanted more resolution. This review is hard to write because I went into the story completely blind and I feel this is the best way to experience it. This book was a great blend of both character and plot driven.

I'm afraid this is a book that definitely did not live up to the hype for me.

Leave The World Behind follows two families in the wake of some kind of distaster. The plot is left deliberately vague, offering only crumbs of information of what has actually occured.

I had so many issues with this novel. Firstly, it just didn't live up to its promise as a creepy, uncanny mystery/ thriller/ dystopia. Nothing happened, and when things finally do start to happen at the end, it ends. There is some social commentary in here, but it's delivered with either incredible subtlety or it's laid on thick, there is no in-between.

Secondly, and perhaps significantly, what I couldn't engage with was the writing. At times it's great, ocassionally it's brilliant, but for the most part it's painfully overwritten. The word choices are bizarre and obscure, and it feels pretentious. Not only that, there's a strange recurring theme of graphically describing characters' genitals for seemingly no reason, including the younger children.

I keep fluctuating between a one star and a two, so perhaps a 1.5. I enjoyed moments, but the read was in no way worth the pay off for me. A decent concept but, for me personally, not the satisfying execution I'd hoped for.

Leave The World Behind is a strange and, at times, extremely creepy book, made all the more unsettling by the post-pandemic world we've all found ourselves in. I found myself wondering several times whether I would find it so resonant, so effective, were it not for having experience of living through, if not end times, then very strange times to say the least. There were moments that were particularly effective - the racial tension unspoken, but ever-so-present, when GH and Ruth first arrive at the family's vacation home was particularly well done. I felt that it could have gone a little further with both the sinister world-building and its critique of white middle class America.

Believe all the hype about this book - it’s absolute perfection.
Clay and Amanda and their children Archie and Rose are escaping the city for a week of relaxation in the middle of nowhere. So when a black couple claiming to be the owners of their rental come knocking on the door late at night asking to stay, they are wary - are G.H. and Ruth who they say they are? And are they telling the truth about strange events outside of the house? As the two families settle in together, they soon realise they have far more to worry about than their fears about each other...
Atmospheric and chilling doesn’t even begin to do this book justice - Alam is a genius. The way in which he manages to avoid telling the reader exactly what is happening outside the home, but leaves little breadcrumbs for you, allows you to imagine the absolute worst, and is far more frightening than if it was spelt out. The fear he manages to evoke with the use of a sound, or an unusual number of deer (explaining the cover!) is quite incredible because it feels all too possible and apocalyptic.
Aside from the mystery and fear created in this story though, there are poignant observations of race, class, parenting and sexuality which make for a compelling dynamic of characters - Alam gets straight to the essence of unconscious bias in a way which leaves you feeling very uncomfortable.
This book is shocking, terrifying and impossible to put down - one of the best I’ve read this year.

Amanda and Clay feel like they’re the only ones around for miles. Together with their two children, they have ventured into the countryside, away from the city, for a quiet break spent reading, relaxing, and playing in the pool of their rental home in Long Island. Except they’re not alone, not on the night when an elderly couple knock on their door claiming to be the owners of the house needing to stay the night. They bring news that there has been a black out in New York City, but with no phone signal in this remote corner of the world, and the TV now down, it’s hard for Amanda and Clay to know how to react. Can they take this couple at their word? Just what is going on in the city?

I flew through this book, despite it being quick slow paced, especially the first half. We meet this family going on holiday, follow them as they go shopping, go to the beach, laze around the pool, and then suddenly I was at like 45% and nothing had happened. It’s not meant to be a fast paced book, it’s not action heavy or plot driven, it’s a quiet book and is more about the eerie feeling you get reading it, but it’s still a long time for nothing to happen in. The writing style is also very slow paced, not just the plot, and I found myself skipping huge chunks of text to get to the dialogue. I don’t like doing this, but I don’t need nearly a full page of every single thing they put in their trolley when shopping, it’s just boring and long and does absolutely nothing for the story or the atmosphere.

I also found the writing quite confusing, in that you would start a chapter focusing on one character, and although it’s told in third person, the focus would slide gradually so you were focusing on another character. This wasn’t an obvious switch, it was so subtle and I found myself getting confused about which character we were talking about.

As I said above, there is the suggestion of some catastrophic event happening, possibly in New York, possibly elsewhere, but New York and the immediate surrounding areas are affected. Whether other places are too is unknown. There is a noise, at a later point in the book, a godawful, painful, out of this world noise related to the unknown event, and you get a little explanation about what is happening at different moments with different people in different parts of the world… but…. is this a spoiler? I don’t think so, YOU DON’T GET ANY REAL ANSWER!!!

And this is my most infuriating thing I find in any book, when there is this big thing, this world changing event… and you don’t know what it is? Nothing explains the blackout, or the noise, or the effects seen on one of the characters and it was just such a disappointing end to the novel, with no wrap up, no satisfaction of actually following through what was quite frankly, a massive point in the blurb. And this is not on the author, but that was a pretty big reason why I picked the book up in the first place!

So… yeah. I was disappointed when I reached the end of this book and realised that that was in fact the end, but… I didn’t hate reading it up until that point. I was invested in the characters and the events of the novel, I just needed another hundred pages to wrap it all up.

I think conceptually this book was interesting and intriguing but at time I found it very pedestrian in its pace. I am afraid that overall it failed to grip me. Somehow the characters did not appeal to me. I could not empathise with any individual. Maybe it will make a better film.

I can’t decide if I loved the prose or hated it. I know I’ve rarely read a book and felt the need to look up the definition of so many of the words. The story is captivating and addictive. You just have to read to the end and whilst I won’t give any spoilers I must say I want a follow up.
I’m not going the whole hog and giving it a five star because there were passages that had me thinking they could have been left out without losing anything but I do wish there were half stars as the novelty of this clever book deserves more that the four stars I’m giving it.

I requested Leave the World Behind as the premise sounded so good.

However, I could not get past the prose style so gave up after a couple of chapters - which I very very rarely do.

So I am unable to provide a true review of this novel. Although the fact that I couldn't get past the third chapter might give you a clue.

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam.

Wow! This was a book that I started mid evening and didn’t stop till I finished it in the early hours of the morning.
What starts as a family holiday in a luxury but remote accommodation in Long Island turns into the most anxiety-ridden ‘What the hell is happening here?’ scenario.

The family only manage a couple of days of fun when late at night, the owners of the property turn up with a garbled explanation that ‘something bad’ is happening out there. The only news alert that is received is that there’s a black out on the East Coast. They still have power but no access to phones, the internet or the television.

A lot is made of just how reliant we are on our phones and the internet - without it, no one knows what is happening. Is it something with a ready explanation or something more sinister?

I don’t want to give anything away but I urge that you MUST read this book!
Un-put-downable is a bit of a book review cliche, but this book was so curious, well-paced, frightening and well written that there was no chance that I could put it down without finishing it. As it was, my head was buzzing afterwards for ages with what I had read - so maybe it would’ve been better to start it earlier in the day. I certainly couldn’t sleep for ages after finishing it.
* Thanks to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for the ARC.

A snapshot of inevitability, the writing style is unusual and captivating, I was entranced.
This touches on the darker side of human nature, the truths that we try to hide behind civilised behaviour.
One of the most chilling observations is a character who yearns for human interaction, forgetting how much he dislikes most human behaviour.
Exploring racial bias, parental duty, privilege, class and success, among other things; this book will definitely make you think. How would you behave in similar circumstances? And when push comes to shove, are you really a good person?

Unfortunately this one just didn't work for me. I loved the premise which is why I requested it, and I will say that the atmosphere throughout the entire book is fantastic, and Leave the World Behind is one of those books that blurs genre lines in the best way possible. Not only that but it tackles a lot of deep themes, and tackles them well, and it makes for a thought provoking and uncomfortable read, again building that atmosphere. It was the writing that lost me, as the prose for the most part felt overdone, as though the author was trying to push too hard rather than letting it flow, and it made it hard for me to be swept away by the good parts of the book. I can certainly understand why people will love this book, it just wasn't for me.

Leave the World Behind is a tense, riveting and claustrophobic exploration of privilege, race, class, fate, family, hatred and division and one of the starkest and most terrifyingly prescient stories I have read over the past few years. It's a deceptively simple tale but one that certainly succeeds at putting you on edge and getting both under your skin and into your psyche. It soon reveals its multilayered nature where, like a set of Russian Matryoshka dolls, each layer removed reveals another below. Refreshingly original and written in wonderfully descriptive, lyrical prose, this is a modern, creepily disquieting tour de force which is deserving of the hype and immense critical acclaim it has received and a novel very much reflective of our time.

Leave the World Behind is an unputdownable novel set during an apocalyptic time that explores race, privilege, and family. Poised to be released as a Netflix film starring Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts, the concept is very fascinating. Imagine you go on a holiday using Air BnB and get to stay at a posh place with no wi-fi and tv - a real chance to unplug! Only, the couple who owns the place shows up knocking in a panic. The world is in a major blackout. This is their home, so they want in since they didn’t know where else to go. There is no way of confirming what the owners are telling you. Why is the world falling apart? Is it true? The claustrophobic atmosphere is outstanding. Highly recommended! Be sure to check out the novel before the movie comes out on Netflix!

The description for Leave the World Behind implies a psychological thriller challenging perceptions about prejudice, social manners and safety. A white family holidaying in a luxury house in the Hamptons are disturbed by a black couple who claim to be the owners of the house and want to come in and stay to wait out the effects of a blackout in New York. Actually the tension comes from the blackout itself, as the event and it’s consequences are referred to in a vague, increasingly devastating way. An intriguing, at times disturbing, examination of our dependence on technology in modern life and the need for information in times of crisis, this will appeal to those who enjoyed Station Eleven.

This book. I'm on the fence. I liked it and didn't at the same time. Marmite if you will. The premise was interesting - a white family rent a house in the Hamptons for a holiday only to find that the black owners of the house come back and want to seek shelter as the world around them....well...just think a bit of Covid so this bit isn't as far fetched as it first appears.

I just found it the literary equivalent of someone holding up a banner with 'worthy subject within' on it. I mean it was very interesting to discuss race and racism issues in this way, have a sci-fi feel to it all (although not so much in this Covid world) and I was freaked out with the chilling aspect to it all but the writing style was jarred and uncomfortable for me. Far too over-written and just very bizarre ways of expressing relatively simple ideas. I love words but not this many when there's not needed. After all that, I'm not entirely sure there was an ending? This could be me, so take that with pinch of salt.

An interesting premise but it didn't work for me

This is an extremely engrossing story about a family vacation gone awry. with potentially devastating consequences A very quick read that I finished in less than a day, mostly because I couldn't wait to see how it would end. A really good read with some genuine tension and very well drawn characters.

Leave The World Behind is a quite brilliant novel about a catastrophic event raising issues on race, family and class.

The story begins with a well off white middle class family enjoying a holiday in rented luxurious accommodation. Clay and Amanda and their children enjoy the luxuries the house has to offer and the tranquility of the countryside. This holiday bliss is upset when the owners turn up at the property, GW and Ruth a wealthy black couple. They ask to stay at their property as their is a blackout in the city. The tension builds as Amanda and Clay question wether GW and Ruth really own this property? Is their really a disaster unfolding in the world. With all methods of communication disrupted the story is dark and claustrophobic.

The writing is superb and as the tension mounts I couldn’t put the book down I found the novel a real page turner.

Absolutely unlike anything I have ever read or experienced and completely brilliant. It reminded both of Jordan Peele movies, menace and dread in a domestic setting, and also of Laura Lippman or Anne Tyler with their eye for human behaviour and morivations. Absolutely unforgettable genre defying fiction.

Wow. What a book. What a read.

Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam is an extraordinary book ostensibly about an unknown, catastrophic event but is also an examination of race, class and family.

Amanda and Clay have travelled to the Hamptons with their teenage children Archie and Rose for a vacation at a secluded and remote house. They’re renting it for a week and it appeals precisely because of it’s remoteness. There isn’t a mobile phone signal nor is there any internet. They’re completely disconnected.

They relax. Amanda visits the local supermarket and spends a couple of hundred Dollars on food and wine, the children swim in the pool and the adults fall in love with the house. It’s high spec, beautifully finished and well appointed. They eat, they drink, they sit in the hot tub. They visit the beach, the children become sunburned and exhausted from playing in the sea. They return to the house and eat pasta. They enjoy each other’s company whilst trying surreptitiously to get an internet signal.

Then, late on their second night at the house, an older black couple appear at the door. Their names are Ruth and G.H. Washington and they say they’re the owners of the house. There’s been a power cut in New York, something Very Bad is happening, and so they’ve come to the place they feel safest. Suddenly Amanda and Clay’s relaxing holiday is anything but. There are interlopers who are intruding upon their peace. But, are they actually the interlopers? After all, the house is owned by this couple standing in the living room casting an eye over the disarray left by the teenagers and their parents.

An omnipresent narrator tells us what is happening in the house and what is happening beyond, but not the full story. We have to fill in the gaps and allow our imaginations to do the work. I kept asking myself if things were as bad as they seemed. Were the Washingtons overreacting? After all, there is still power at the beautiful, remote house but the TV isn’t working and neither is the radio.

It is raw, uncompromising and uncomfortable, especially when it comes to systematic racism. Amanda and Clay are a liberal white couple who wouldn’t describe themselves as racist, and yet when faced with a black couple at the door they feel fearful. When they discover that the Washingtons own the house Amanda is surprised because, “this didn’t seem to her like the sort of a house where black people lived.”

Thrown together, these four adults must find an equilibrium amongst the jostling for power, and yet, there is something awful happening outside. The writing is pin sharp. The moments leading up to the Washingtons appearing at the door sent chills up my spine and raised the hair on the back of my neck. In fact the whole book sent chills up my spine. Small morsels of horror are dropped into the narrative so casually that I had to go back and re-read and slowly, slowly I understood.

Clearly reading this during a global pandemic added to the feeling of mounting horror and anxiety. I think there were emotions that I was already feeling which were heightened and I perhaps understood more of the terror than I would’ve done in normal circumstances. That’s not to take anything away from the writing which is intelligent and elegant. The slow beginning is misleading, designed to ease the reader in gently to the intricacies and minutiae of family before it is abruptly disrupted.

I read it in two breathless sittings, and when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. It was right up my street; lots of questions, some answers and an altered world. It’s going to be huge (Julia Roberts has optioned it and she will star in it with Denzel Washington), so get ahead of the curve.

A MUST READ!!!!!
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Prepare to be freaked out, especially if you read this during 2020 when everything seems to be imploding. This book follows 2 families as they end up thrust together in a world that seems to be ending. Amanda, Clay and their children go on a vacation in an AirBnb when a knock at the door interrupts their family time. The knock is coming from the supposed owners of the house as they were unsure where to go when a power outage hits the East Coast and they are unable to get to their apartment, hesitant but without wifi and tv the couple can't check this and don't seem to have any other option? But what is causing this blackout? What is happening? Do they indeed own the house like they say?
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This book deals with race, family dynamics, and will I believe lead to bigger discussions for anybody who reads this. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the ARC!!