Leave the World Behind

Leave the World Behind

By: Rumaan Alam
Published: 2020
# of pages: 241
Challenges: Alphabet Soup, Book Bingo (Netflix adaptation)
Quote: “Trees knew to occupy only their given patch of earth and sky. Trees were generous and careful, and maybe that would be their salvation.”

Amanda and Clay head to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a 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 with a late-night knock on the door, the spell is broken. Ruth and G. H., an older couple who claim to own the home, have arrived there in a panic. These strangers say that a sudden power outage has swept the city, and – with nowhere else to turn – they have come to the country in search of shelter.

But with the TV and internet down, and no phone service, the facts are unknowable. Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple – and vice versa? What has happened back in New York? Is the holiday home, isolated from civilisation, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one another?

Goodreads

First of all, I haven’t seen the Netflix movie by the same title. I’m planning to watch it tonight, so maybe I will write a post about that as well. Otherwise, where to start with this review?? I have so many thoughts about this book.

The story is about an average family from NYC who decide to go on vacation to the country. Clay, Amanda, and their two teenagers make themselves at home in a remote, but charming, Airbnb. However, after only one relaxing day, an older man and woman show up in the middle of the night claiming the house is theirs…and that there’s been some sort of power outage in the city, possibly over the entire east coast. Amanda and Clay are confused as everything seems perfectly normal out on the edge of nowhere USA.

The narrative is told from a meandering omniscient point of view, at different times delving into each character’s thoughts. The prose is often overdone, but the farther into the story the reader goes, the more it “works” and makes sense. The characters are definitely confused and the reader is confused as well, but at the end it all starts coming together. Well, at least it does for the reader. I don’t know how a movie could possibly begin to make sense of the story, but I guess I’ll find out tonight!

Clay and Amanda are written in a similar style to many of Stephen King’s characters, a mixture of likeable and unlikeable all in one. Perhaps the author thought their thoughts were “realistic,” but I dislike thinking that the average person thinks and behaves in those ways. But obviously there are plenty of people in the world the same way, so perhaps it is realistic.

The homeowners weren’t described in as much detail and were often described through Clay and Amanda’s points of view. They often seemed opposites of Clay and Amanda. I appreciated the conflict they felt about owning the house but not being able to legally reside there because of the rental agreement.

I enjoyed the teenage characters more, perhaps because they reminded me of my own kids and Amanda’s thoughts about them echoed my own thoughts about my kids in many ways.

The overall message of the story was sobering and thought provoking. The reader feels horror, hopelessness, and confusion throughout the book, but the ending is intriguing. This would be an interesting book club read! I recommend this to adults who don’t mind meandering narration and vague circumstances.