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franklybookish's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
NEW FAV BOOK ALERT
I want to start off this review by saying, I think a huge part of whether someone will love or not love this book is in the lens from which they approach it. I say this because one of my best friends, Alli, who is also a huge reader, and who I usually share bookish opinions with, did not like this book while I freaking loved it.
As we discussed our likes and dislikes of this story, one thing came to the top of our very different experiences. The genre in which we approached this book as being categorized in. Alli came to this book from a literary fiction expectation while I instead approached it as science/eco-fiction.
Leave the World Behind quickly reminded me of the books I read in college in my science fiction and eco literature courses. It also heavily took me back to a film studies course I took that was focused specifically on apocalyptic films from Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) to I am Legend to Beasts of the Southern Wild. If Leave the World Behind gets adapted (which I believe is in the works) it would have perfectly fit into these courses with its stark, raw, ambiguous, tension-filled prose.
This story's strength is in its depiction of the attempt to maintain routine against the backdrop of the apparent deterioration of normal life as it is known. Alam turns the tension up even more when, while navigating this ambiguous uncertainty and perceived danger, our main family's personal space and comfort is interrupted. The writing style of this book is one that folks with either love, it will add to the story and create the most amazing atmosphere of dread, OR folks will find it overdone and distracting. I clearly fall in the first category.
There are so many small details in this book that took it over the top for me. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll leave you with this. This book, though likely not for everyone, for me hit all of the right marks. Though not "scary" this book was so anxiety-inducing it disrupted my sleep for days (but kind of in the best way?). This book was quickly added and without hesitation added to my favorite books of all-time list.
Obviously, I think you should read it, but also do your research beforehand. At only 240 pages give it a go, you might be surprised!
I want to start off this review by saying, I think a huge part of whether someone will love or not love this book is in the lens from which they approach it. I say this because one of my best friends, Alli, who is also a huge reader, and who I usually share bookish opinions with, did not like this book while I freaking loved it.
As we discussed our likes and dislikes of this story, one thing came to the top of our very different experiences. The genre in which we approached this book as being categorized in. Alli came to this book from a literary fiction expectation while I instead approached it as science/eco-fiction.
Leave the World Behind quickly reminded me of the books I read in college in my science fiction and eco literature courses. It also heavily took me back to a film studies course I took that was focused specifically on apocalyptic films from Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) to I am Legend to Beasts of the Southern Wild. If Leave the World Behind gets adapted (which I believe is in the works) it would have perfectly fit into these courses with its stark, raw, ambiguous, tension-filled prose.
This story's strength is in its depiction of the attempt to maintain routine against the backdrop of the apparent deterioration of normal life as it is known. Alam turns the tension up even more when, while navigating this ambiguous uncertainty and perceived danger, our main family's personal space and comfort is interrupted. The writing style of this book is one that folks with either love, it will add to the story and create the most amazing atmosphere of dread, OR folks will find it overdone and distracting. I clearly fall in the first category.
There are so many small details in this book that took it over the top for me. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll leave you with this. This book, though likely not for everyone, for me hit all of the right marks. Though not "scary" this book was so anxiety-inducing it disrupted my sleep for days (but kind of in the best way?). This book was quickly added and without hesitation added to my favorite books of all-time list.
Obviously, I think you should read it, but also do your research beforehand. At only 240 pages give it a go, you might be surprised!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Confinement, Blood, Excrement, and Vomit
lilifane's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have very mixed feelings abou this book.
It was not at all what I was expecting. But I went with it. The beginning was a bit boring with some minor foreshadowing, then things started to get unsetteling and I loved that. The feeling of subtle dread and fear was done very well. But the ending just didn't work for me. I had a hard time finishing the last 2-3 chapters because it was clear I woudln't like where they were leading. I loved the last sentence, though.
So, what I liked was the setting and the limited time frame/cast of characters. The little nods to current events and glimpses to the bigger picture. The atmosphere. The way it felt too real.
But I did't like the way the characters were written, the dialogues, the weirdly sexual content and the way it ended.
It was not at all what I was expecting. But I went with it. The beginning was a bit boring with some minor foreshadowing, then things started to get unsetteling and I loved that. The feeling of subtle dread and fear was done very well. But the ending just didn't work for me. I had a hard time finishing the last 2-3 chapters because it was clear I woudln't like where they were leading. I loved the last sentence, though.
So, what I liked was the setting and the limited time frame/cast of characters. The little nods to current events and glimpses to the bigger picture. The atmosphere. The way it felt too real.
But I did't like the way the characters were written, the dialogues, the weirdly sexual content and the way it ended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Vomit
Moderate: Racism and Sexual content
teiira's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I WANTED to like this book, unfortunately the writing style was not for me. Additionally, the choices the characters make in the face of an emergency really really frustrated me. I spent the majority of the last half of the book yelling at the characters to just at least MAKE a solid plan, let alone a sensible one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Sexual content
Moderate: Vomit
jessiocca's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Vomit
quincy_kay_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Blood, Excrement, and Vomit
spaghettireads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, and Vomit
kelseyland's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a deeply unsettling book about a path that slowly curves away from normalcy, and the things that people tell themselves to pretend that the curve isn't there. The prose is pristine: Alam is meticulous in his descriptions of the mundane as it slowly slips toward the unsettling, the horrific, and the unthinkable. I wouldn't say that this book is totally bleak, though: only mostly bleak, and also phenomenal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual content, Blood, and Vomit
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, and Racism
leahsbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I wasn't sure what to expect from this audiobook, but it was available through my library and it seemed intriguing, so I checked it out. And I'm still not sure what to think. On the surface, it seems fairly straightforward. A couple and their two children take a vacation from their lives in New York City and rent a home in the east end of Long Island for a week. It's a fairly quiet area, and they're surprised to find the owners of the home on their doorstep telling them of a massive blackout, and requesting to stay at the house.
Amanda and Clay aren't sure what to think, and they don't know if they can even trust this couple that they've never met in person. The couple doesn't know if they feel comfortable putting their trust in Amanda and Clay and sharing their home with them. Renting a house to someone is very different than living in it with them.
However, there are bigger issues going on that they aren't aware of. The power outage means that they don't have access to television, telephones, or internet, and can't access any information telling them what is happening outside of the house. So when strange things start happening that they can't explain, they have basically nowhere to turn.
The narrator was fabulous, but the prose was excessively flowery. In addition, there was a strange fixation on sexual content, including a focus on ejaculation, which I found uncomfortable to listen to. The story was a bit meandering, although it showed how quickly things change when catastrophe occurs.
I was flummoxed and frustrated by the ending, though. I tend to like endings that are clear and concrete, rather than open-ended. They give me a sense of satisfaction, rather than leaving me questioning. Unfortunately, this book left me with more questions than answers, and a feeling that it just wasn't finished.
Amanda and Clay aren't sure what to think, and they don't know if they can even trust this couple that they've never met in person. The couple doesn't know if they feel comfortable putting their trust in Amanda and Clay and sharing their home with them. Renting a house to someone is very different than living in it with them.
However, there are bigger issues going on that they aren't aware of. The power outage means that they don't have access to television, telephones, or internet, and can't access any information telling them what is happening outside of the house. So when strange things start happening that they can't explain, they have basically nowhere to turn.
The narrator was fabulous, but the prose was excessively flowery. In addition, there was a strange fixation on sexual content, including a focus on ejaculation, which I found uncomfortable to listen to. The story was a bit meandering, although it showed how quickly things change when catastrophe occurs.
I was flummoxed and frustrated by the ending, though. I tend to like endings that are clear and concrete, rather than open-ended. They give me a sense of satisfaction, rather than leaving me questioning. Unfortunately, this book left me with more questions than answers, and a feeling that it just wasn't finished.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Racism and Vomit
whatellisreadnext's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ข๐ง๐ฆ๐ต๐บ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ถ๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ. ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ. ๐๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ดโ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ, ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ, ๐ต๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ.
Amanda and Clay leave New York City, and head to a remote house for a vacation in Long Island. They're both enjoying spending time with their kids and letting life slow down for a while, but the spell is quickly broken by a late night knock at the door. It's the owners of the property. They are frantic, saying a sudden power outage has swept across the city. Can these people be trusted?
This book is ๐ฅ.
I have never been so stressed by a book, but so unable to put it down. Leave The World Behind is the epitome of watching a car crash happen. It's claustrophobic and aggravating, you feel as in the dark and stuck as all of the characters.
The writing can be quite jarring at first, for the first 30 pages I struggled. I was wondering what the hell I'd let myself in for, but I stuck with it, and soon got into the swing of things. I've never read anything like it before, Rumaan Alam writes in a way that gives the reader a chance to hear everyone's thoughts. It adds a whole other layer to the narrative. The author effortlessly uses this technique to create such an accurate examination of race and class, amidst all of the other chaos going on.
Technology dependence is a big big theme, with the TV and Internet going down almost immediately. It just made me think how absolutely screwed we would all be. The thought of trying to get somewhere, when you don't know the area, without Google maps, just made me feel sick๐
Leave The World Behind is much more than a suspense filled end of the world novel, it goes so much deeper than that, and it feels especially apt to have come out in 2020. I know this one is quite polarising, but I urge you to give it a go, just know that the ending is pretty open. I truly haven't stopped thinking about this book since I finished it over two weeks ago, it's a book that claws into your brain and never leaves.
Amanda and Clay leave New York City, and head to a remote house for a vacation in Long Island. They're both enjoying spending time with their kids and letting life slow down for a while, but the spell is quickly broken by a late night knock at the door. It's the owners of the property. They are frantic, saying a sudden power outage has swept across the city. Can these people be trusted?
This book is ๐ฅ.
I have never been so stressed by a book, but so unable to put it down. Leave The World Behind is the epitome of watching a car crash happen. It's claustrophobic and aggravating, you feel as in the dark and stuck as all of the characters.
The writing can be quite jarring at first, for the first 30 pages I struggled. I was wondering what the hell I'd let myself in for, but I stuck with it, and soon got into the swing of things. I've never read anything like it before, Rumaan Alam writes in a way that gives the reader a chance to hear everyone's thoughts. It adds a whole other layer to the narrative. The author effortlessly uses this technique to create such an accurate examination of race and class, amidst all of the other chaos going on.
Technology dependence is a big big theme, with the TV and Internet going down almost immediately. It just made me think how absolutely screwed we would all be. The thought of trying to get somewhere, when you don't know the area, without Google maps, just made me feel sick๐
Leave The World Behind is much more than a suspense filled end of the world novel, it goes so much deeper than that, and it feels especially apt to have come out in 2020. I know this one is quite polarising, but I urge you to give it a go, just know that the ending is pretty open. I truly haven't stopped thinking about this book since I finished it over two weeks ago, it's a book that claws into your brain and never leaves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Blood, and Vomit
Moderate: Racism
hilbertscurve's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Vomit