This book has justifiably had huge hype. Believe it. So gripping and thoughtful and despairing and joyful. It has everything, whilst also examining important themes of class and race in a non-woke way.

Wow what do I say about this one?! 

I really enjoyed the premise and the tension the author created was phenomenal, the random happenings and gruesome descriptions were brilliant but the book just ended!! I would have happily read another 200 pages of this to find out where it was going and what had happened to bring them all together in that house.

Hooked from the start! A wonderful distraction to a parallel world! Really would recommend and listening to on audiobook!

I’m not a huge fan of audiobooks so I thought I’d give this a go after seeing a lot of great reviews for the book and I really enjoyed it!

I thought the story was gripping and thrilling in equal measure if it was a physical book I’d call
It a page turner!  

Definitely recommend this!

My review is for the audio version. Whilst I didn’t mind the narrator’s voice, and was excited by the description of the book, the story fell flat for me. Though it was descriptive from the start, I felt some of the description did not help the plot along and I wasn’t sure what the author’s intention was ( for example, references to erections). I did not finish, I simply wasn’t captured by the characters or story telling. Perhaps a paper version would’ve been better so that I could flick ahead and try and pick up at an interesting point.

“Leave the World Behind” begins like a delicate portrait of a typical family going on vacation to a rented home in a remote part of Long Island, but it soon turns into a much darker story filled with dread. At first it feels like an Anne Tyler novel and then slides into Cormac McCarthy. I think it's clever how Alam draws you into the lives of parents Amanda and Clay to fully understand the minutiae of their psychology and self-centredness. They are probably no more egotistical than most people, but definitely justify their attitudes and actions based on notions of inherent privilege. Therefore, they find it deeply challenging and frightening when, after settling into their accommodation, an older black couple named the Washingtons arrive on their doorstep late one night. Ruth and G.H. Washington assert that they are the owners and need to stay in their home because there's been a peculiar blackout in NYC. While they have no means of getting information through the news or internet, we follow the story of how this group is terrifyingly cut off from larger world events as the world descends into chaos. It's a kind of dystopian story as felt through the limited perspective of a group of characters but also says something larger about the flimsy magnanimity of white middle-upper class life. 

Recently I read Don DeLillo's most recent novel “The Silence” which has a very similar premise. A group of people find themselves isolated and ignorant about the larger cataclysmic events of the world when they are cut off from the media. It's a potent and timely situation as we increasingly find ourselves utterly dependant on understanding events and the shape of society as filtered through the internet. Yet, where DeLillo's book felt more like a studious exercise, Alam's story was much more successful as a satisfying novel that raises a number of compelling ideas while delivering a chilling, compulsively-readable tale. It's cleverly structured in how we're trapped in the limited perspective of the characters through much of the story, but later on we glimpse the devolving structures of the world. The reader fully understands how everything is going badly wrong but also feels the agonizing fear of the characters as they experience little signs which indicate that they're all in deep trouble. Deer flock past the house in unusually high numbers. Flamingoes unnaturally inhabit their area. Amanda and Clay's son becomes strangely ill. Their control and grasp of the world slowly seeps away and this results in a horrifying kind of derangement. It made this novel an effective, potent and unsettling read.

I had such high hopes for this, but within the first few chapters, I realised that this wasn't the book for me. 

The writing style, the language and descriptions used and the feel didn't sit well with me. In fact, the blurb made this book sound like it was going to hit the ground running, what I got inside felt dull and I never felt engaged with the characters nor the story.

Rumaan Alam invites us into this perfect,  suspenseful novel, beautifully narrated by Marin Ireland.  The story opens with Amanda, Clay and their teenage son and daughter driving to a remote corner of Long Island where they have rented a luxury home complete with pool and hot tub, for a week long holiday.  All is well until late at night when there is a knock on the door. This heralds the arrival of Ruth and G. H. who claim to be the owners of the house and who bring news of a blackout in New York. There is no phone signal, the internet has failed and the TV is also not working.  The arrival of the older couple brings out the worst in Clay and particularly, in Amanda. Deep held attitudes emerge which they have hidden from each other and even from themselves. Without any means of checking can the two couples trust one another and, more to the point, should they? What is going on in the world? How can they find out and are they safe?

To find out the answers you will need to read, or listen to, this brilliant novel. It is such a perfect novel for the current situation that it could not have been better timed. I cannot recommend this book more highly, absolutely brilliant!

I am struggling to review this book as keep thinking I must’ve missed the point. I listened to the audio edition and although narration was decent, the story didn’t hold my attention and I kept drifting off. Actually, there’s no story as such as not much is happening and the events that do happen are never explained or justified. The writing is pretentious and numerous descriptions of houses, decor, food items, sexual organs etc. are not adding much to the plot. I found the cultural and racial references to be superficial and not thought provoking as promised by the blurb. It was certainly an original read but also rather strange. I don’t think I will rush to read more from the author. 
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy.

I received an audiobook copy from NetGalley for an honest review.  

This is one of those titles I kept seeing everywhere.  The cover itself if quite striking but the description sounded right up my street.  

It is definitely a novel of 2020.  We follow a family who are holidaying in the Hamptons when the couple that say they own the house return and say there have been mass power outages and they had to return home.  Strange things begin to happen and the characters question if this is the end of everything they know.  

It was a strange book,  I feel like the audio may not have been the best format as I struggled to keep up with each perspective as they each sounded the same and blurred into one.  

I think the book made interesting points about racial profiling and prejudice.  That was the bit that stuck with me most, very acute observation.  

There was a slight bird box vibe to the story and I would say that’s the closet thing I’ve read in terms of tone as you don’t get answers, it doesn’t explain everything.  

I would definitely read it again as I think I would get more from a physical read.

Oh ‘deer’ here’s my unpopular opinion...

Essentially, this was a dull read for me. I listened as Netgalley kindly sent me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. The narrator does a good job but there’s no exciting content to perform so I’m not sure how much extra the audiobook adds, if anything. 

If you’re a fan of a slow paced, mundane story, that turns awkward at times - this book could be for you! Especially if you enjoy not particularly liking the characters and not receiving explanations or answers.

This was very good. A family staying in a vacation rental are disturbed one night by the house's owners who have fled the city because something big is happening in the world.

I enjoyed the audio narrator's performance. The particular strength was in the wry judgements of how useless we all actually are. The delivery of these asides really worked. I would listen to more from this audio narrator.

A perfect blend of the specific and the general, I thought this most successful with its small observations of human behaviour, rather than it its apocalyptic reveals. 

I think I expected more of a psychological thriller than it was but that just would've been a different book. Living through the pandemic definitely makes you read this is a different light. Should we all be undergoing survivalist training rather than mainlining novels and Netflix?

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the audio in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to the publishers and netgalley for this audio arc, i really appreciate it!

What a strange read! It reminded me so much of ‘The cabin at the end of the world’ that I read last year and enjoyed. I was confused for a lot of it and never really got any answers but the writing was really good.

I adored the concept of the blackout and strangers coming together under mysterious circumstances. I definitely wouldnt hesitate to pick up more works by this author!

I suppose living through a pandemic does give you a heightened sense of what it feels like when things just aren’t right. For most of us that that feeling is offset, to some degree at least, by being surrounded by your own things in your own home. But for Amanda and Clay that’s not the way it’s going to be.

The couple set off from their hectic life in New York City for a week’s break on Long Island, along with their two teenage children. Once ensconced in their luxurious temporary home they begin to relax and let the worries and woes of working life recede into the background. But then a late night knock at the door interrupts their peace and they are confronted by an older couple - claiming to be the owners of the property - who want to come in and talk to them. Clay is happy to allow them across the threshold but Amanda is suspicious and uncomfortable – after all this couple are black and surely they don’t own this piece of mega expensive real estate! 

It appears that there’s a blackout in the city and though the couple were due to spend the night there they became spooked and decided to get out. It’s an awkward situation but eventually Amanda and Clay are persuaded sufficiently to allow them to occupy a room in the house for the night. By now the mobile phone service, patchy at best in this rural spot, has disappeared entirely and internet and television services are out too. What exactly is going on?

We watch events unfold through the eyes of all participants in this story, both adults and children. The dual tensions of the edgy relationship between the adults and the unfolding external events create an atmosphere of increasing unease. It’s uncomfortable but also compelling, and as we begin to understand that there may well be more than just a localised energy issue in play here it’s tempting to draw a parallel with what’s going on in the real world, right now. 

If I have a criticism it’s that I found it hard to like any of the adult characters. Each seemed to possess at least one characteristic that irritated me and as a result I had to fight off a creeping feeling of ambivalence regarding their plight. But in other respects the story did engage me, aided by the excellent reading this audio version by American actress Marin Ireland. A thought provoking tale that unerringly taps into our prevailing fear of the unknown and highlights our often clinging need for the normal.

Wow! Wow! Wow! What a book! I've seen a few comments about 'a disappointing ending' and I had to laugh. For me, the ending was the entire point of the book. It invited me to use my imagination and think about what could be the cause of what happened - how brilliant and what a lovely treat from a talented and articulate author. Mr Alam has a lot to say about the world we live in and how right he is. Exorcising his angst through the medium of novel writing is genius. The characterisation was exquisitely done, dialogue was meaningful and the whole thing was, sadly, entirely credible. The reader/listener does have to use their own brain and that, for me, made the whole package even more of a delight. Thoughtful, clear and nuanced narration by Marin Ireland made this a gift of generosity that will stay with me for a long time to come. Brilliant.

Leave the World Behind is a languid thriller which lulls you into a false sense of security with a  long, hot summer in the countryside before allowing the outer world to seep  a growing unease.

Whilst literary fiction  is not my go to genre, Alam's descriptive writing had me feeling the heat of an East Coast summer, the perfect escape for a lockdown winter in London. The narrative is observant but unobtrusive, allowing the reader to see the merits and flaws of each character without being swayed towards anyone in particular. Though I found Amanda and Clay's privilege and entitlement irksome at times, they remained very human and sympathy was not lost as the events of the outside world begin to close in.

Some may find the lack of concrete detail regarding the cause of the black out frustrating but I enjoyed being as clueless as the characters themselves. We'd imagine that such events would be explosive Hollywood scenes when in reality we are much more likely to be frogs in a slowly boiling pan of water, not noticing when it is time to jump out. 

Marin Ireland perfectly translated Alam's writing into audio. She brought the heat, the lazy balm of summer as well as the dread slowly creeping it. Each of the characters were identifiable from voice alone, as Ireland gave each a different energy as well spent time in their perspective. 

An enjoyable, thoughtful listen I'd recommend for a lazy Sunday.

Oh my goodness... What just happened to me?That was as brutal as it was horrific. A masterpiece of suspense. The first half was very slow paced but no less compelling for it. The second half was a slow realisation of the devastation to come. Don't expect any happy endings here. And don't expect to sleep well after either. A brilliant look at racial, gender, and social divides in a microcosm as well as a look at the issues of the world on a wider scale. Has left me genuinely afraid.

My thanks to Bloomsbury U.K. Audio for a review copy via NetGalley of the audiobook edition of ‘Leave the World Behind’ by Rumaan Alam in exchange for an honest review. It was narrated by Marin Ireland and has a running time is 7 hours, 25 minutes at 1x speed.

This novel left me reeling! It’s a restrained work of literary speculative fiction, yet extraordinary in its scope. It is almost play-like in its small cast of characters and the atmospheric woodland setting. 

New Yorkers Amanda and Clay head with their teenage son and daughter for a holiday in a remote corner of Long Island where they have rented a luxury home for the week. Yet as they are settling in there is a late night knock at the door. Standing there are an older couple, Ruth and G.H. Washington, who announce themselves as the house owners.

They are in a panic and bring news that a sudden blackout had hit New York City causing them to head back to their country home. Yet with the internet and TV down and no phone service, can Amanda and Clay trust this couple? 

That Amanda and Clay are white and middle class and the Washingtons are black and wealthy bring aspects of racism and class into the narrative. At one point Amanda thinks to herself: “This didn’t seem to her like the sort of house where black people lived,” and then questions why that thought had so easily come to her. After some awkwardness the two couples work together in order to figure out what’s going on. 

Odd things happen, including the local deer behaving in strange ways. Then there’s the noise. “This was a noise, yes, but one so loud that it was almost a physical presence, so sudden because of course there was no precedent. There was nothing (real life!), and then there was a noise. Of course they’d never heard a noise like that before. You didn’t hear such a noise; you experienced it, endured it, survived it, witnessed it. You could fairly say that their lives could be divided into two: the period before they’d heard that noise and the period after.”

The hope that this is just something minor and explainable contrasts with the universal narrator providing tantalising glimpses of events that are occurring in the wider world. 

In terms of the audiobook, I will admit that there were a few scenes that caused me to blush. Still overall, I found Marin Ireland’s performance excellent and she drew me into the narrative completely. She is a well established American actor with an impressive résumé, including theatre. She’s won a number of awards for her work with audiobooks, including a 2020 AudioFile Earphones Award for ‘Leave the World Behind’.

I consider this one of the best novels that I have read in 2020. Given its release during the pandemic, it effectively identifies the disquiet running through society and even the denial of reality evident in some quarters. 

I expect that it will be quickly hailed as a modern classic to stand alongside works such as Cormac McCarthy's ‘The Road’. I also feel that its multilayered narrative and accessibility will make it a popular choice for reading groups. I certainly will be suggesting it to mine for 2021.

No surprise given its quality and topicality that it has been quickly optioned by Netflix.

The narration was really easy to follow. 
However, I didn't love this book. I felt as if the author wanted to create a sort of modern classic, but not being sure what genre to attribute it to. Is it a thriller? is it literary fiction? is it sci-fi? is it a dystopian novel? 
It was very well written, and although not the most engaging story I've ever read, it was ok.

This is an audiobook review for Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam.   This book is best enjoyed leaving your logical hat at home and diving head first into! 
Amanda and Clay are on holiday in the Hamptons with their children when they have unexpected visitors arrive at their rental property. An elderly couple have turned up out of the blue. It turns out this couple own this property and because of an emergency situation in New York they feel they need to take refuge there. 
While the two families are sheltering together and getting to know one another, unexplained incidents are starting to occur beyond everyone’s control and with no WiFi, phones or communication with the outside world the alarm is beginning to take hold. 
Alam is very clever, controlling the reader with fear and drip feeding  us but by bit with more terror.  I did enjoy the narration done by Marin Ireland but I found , for me, her soothing voice at odds with the harrowing situation that was unfolding in the book. 
Ultimately this is a brilliant read - unsettling yet addictive, creepy yet sinister so no wonder Netflix have snapped it up to make it into a movie. Thank you Netgalley for my gifted copy.