Author: Rumaan Alam
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: Ecco
Publication Date: October 6, 2020
Book Description: A magnetic novel about two families, strangers to each other, who are forced together on a long weekend gone terribly wrong
Amanda and Clay head out to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a vacation: a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter, and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they’ve rented for the week. But a late-night knock on the door breaks the spell. Ruth and G. H. are an older couple—it’s their house, and they’ve arrived in a panic. They bring the news that a sudden blackout has swept the city. But in this rural area—with the TV and internet now down, and no cell phone service—it’s hard to know what to believe.
Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple—and vice versa? What happened back in New York? Is the vacation home, isolated from civilization, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one other?
Suspenseful and provocative, Rumaan Alam’s third novel is keenly attuned to the complexities of parenthood, race, and class. Leave the World Behind explores how our closest bonds are reshaped—and unexpected new ones are forged—in moments of crisis.
Rating: 4 1/2 Stars
Review: This is third book from Rumaan Alam, and his writing just gets better and better. This book seems to be on every list this fall for the best books to read and I can see why. Leave the World Behind was attention grabbing and had me engaged to the very last page.
Amanda and Clay rent a beach home on Long Island for a family vacation. The trip starts out idyllic for them and their two kids, however they receive a knock at the door one night and it is the owners of the house, G.H and Ruth. There is a blackout in NYC and they want to stay in their home in Long Island where they feel it is safest.
What Alam takes us on is a journey of race and class, all while we have no idea what is happening outside the house. The couples have no choice but to work together while they have no clue what is going on anywhere. There is no TV, telephones, cell service or Wi-Fi to let them know if they are safe or not.
This was an exceptional book. I could never guess the direction this story was going in, but I am glad I didn’t as is left me so intrigued until the end of the book. Alam is becoming a can’t miss writer for me. I can honestly say, I do not believe you will be disappointed.
Thank you NetGalley and Ecco for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Obsessed Bookaholic 