Skip to main content

Leave the World Behind - Rumaan Alam


 

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 black 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 another? 

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.

___________

Young, old. Black, white. Sane, crazy. Hungry, satisfied. Each of these is the opposite of the other. Or are they. What matters? Each day or the combination of many days? Leave the World Behind is so deep and draining. So complex, simply stated. There are no connection of words that will adequately describe the feeling. The story provided an intense, hopeful, surrender that many will interpret differently. It was complete.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Last Romantics

⭐⭐⭐⭐ What a story ..and four star because five don't come that easily to me! Family drama, abandonment, love, loss and forgiveness fill this story that should not be remembered by the title.  Which was only the name of a blog written by an anonymous author.  This family grew apart and then in threads found a way back.  But like any cloth that's been severed, it was never the same strength, feel or look than the original.  Or was the original never that strong.
Post a Comment
Read more

Hello, Sunshine

⭐⭐⭐ Audio book. I thoroughly enjoyed Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave.  When I moved on the First Husband I thought, 'meh.'  And when I read Hello, Sunshine I was glad I found it on audio as it made for an entertaining listen.  Abeit light, it did entertain.  Loved the picturesque setting in the Hamptons and the summer lifestyle with hints of New York City.  Two books in a row for me where someone else's child had a profound impact on the protagonist.  Story of love, forgiveness, regret, friendship and acceptance. light as air, bright as sunshine!
Post a Comment
Read more

Migrations

  Migrations was a beautiful song in the midst of chaos. The characters were relatable, flawed, adventurous and calm. The story centers around Franny Stone and her study of bird migration. Yet this story is so very much more. Her desire is to follow 'her birds' which lands her aboard a vessel in Antarctica. And the journey begins. Love, loss, forgiveness, strength, perseverance and nature play a part in this beautiful story! DESCRIPTION: Franny Stone has always been a wanderer. By following the ocean’s tides and the birds that soar above, she can forget the losses that have haunted her life. But when the wild she loves begins to disappear, Franny can no longer wander without a destination. She arrives in remote Greenland with one purpose: to find the world’s last flock of Arctic terns and follow them on their final migration.  She convinces Ennis Malone, captain of the Saghani, to take her onboard, winning over his eccentric crew with promises that the birds she is tracking wi...
Post a Comment
Read more