🦩🦩🦩🦩(four stars as rated in flamingos because.... um... flamingos?)

Something is happening. Something is happening. It was supposed to be relaxing a weekend away for Clay, Amanda and their two teenage children; a few days to unwind. And then, well, something happened. This other couple arrived. The power went out in the city. And that noise... What even was that? Are they safe where they are? Should they leave? Or should they wait until they know what's going on? What do you do when you have no idea what to do? You leave the world behind you.

“They had asked themselves questions when they decided to have children — do we have the money, do we have the space, do we have what it takes — but they didn’t ask what the world would be when their children grew.”

If you are into the kind of film where you don't see the monster until 2/3 of the way through, then have I got the book for you! Leave The World Behind is, in my opinion, the definition of a psychological thriller. What is most unsettling about this story isn't what it shows you but what it doesn't. There is very little action, but don't take that to mean that the book does not move. I genuinely could not put it down. The prose, the characters, the narration... it was all expertly done, in my opinion. I would highly recommend listening to this book. Rumaan Alam's words in Marin Ireland's voice was as beautiful as it was unsettling. This is the kind of story you keep thinking about for days afterward.

✨ Rep in this book: Black supporting characters, AOC

✨ Content warnings for this book: the mention of death, disease and unrest, vomit, medical stuff, cursing, racism, blood

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Content Warnings

jennhammel's review against another edition

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mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book is unapologetically vulgar, filled with a brutally honest take on the inner thoughts of humans. It’s an interesting character study kind of book, with a vague worldwide emergency going on in the background. I think the author accomplished exactly what was intended, but it wasn’t necessarily for me.

Content Warnings

ctrl_shift_dlt's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

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