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irinalast's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
Dislike what is likely how most people would think, feel, and act when the worst happens. No one is a hero, not much hope in the end.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Toxic relationship, War, Grief, Alcohol, Medical content, Confinement, Terminal illness, Death, and Sexual content
franklola's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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: Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic, Body horror, Confinement, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Alcohol, Chronic illness, and Racism
Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Grief
lizzym126's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Addiction, Sexual content, Suicide, War, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Alcohol, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Racism
Minor: Murder
nytefall_library's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
Where to begin…. (Potential spoilers)
This book was sold to me as a type of apocalyptic story that would be like a thriller and mystery with tense moments and a murder mystery feel. I don’t feel like I read that book. The adult characters in the story are horrible - all of them. They are arrogant, rude and so self absorbed to think they’re the most important people when they’re not. The children are the only ones to act as their age and the least annoying characters in this book. Amanda and Clay are beyond strange and when they meet the owners of the house I honestly didn’t know the story could get worse. G. H and Ruth are just as rude and selfish as Amanda and Clay - also who drives out of town to their holiday home knowing you have people staying there??? The subtle racism, fat shaming and sexism in the story was just so irrelevant to the whole story and some sentences were far too over descriptive and didn’t lend anything further to the story. The only interesting bit, where the story pace gets slightly faster and more interesting was right at the end. This is also where Ruth and Amanda started to act like actual human beings and not just a 2d version of themselves. If the rest of the book was like the last few chapters I may have rated this slightly higher. Also make sure you like abrupt endings because that’s all you’re left with. No answers - I just assumed they all died and the world ended.
This book was sold to me as a type of apocalyptic story that would be like a thriller and mystery with tense moments and a murder mystery feel. I don’t feel like I read that book. The adult characters in the story are horrible - all of them. They are arrogant, rude and so self absorbed to think they’re the most important people when they’re not. The children are the only ones to act as their age and the least annoying characters in this book. Amanda and Clay are beyond strange and when they meet the owners of the house I honestly didn’t know the story could get worse. G. H and Ruth are just as rude and selfish as Amanda and Clay - also who drives out of town to their holiday home knowing you have people staying there??? The subtle racism, fat shaming and sexism in the story was just so irrelevant to the whole story and some sentences were far too over descriptive and didn’t lend anything further to the story. The only interesting bit, where the story pace gets slightly faster and more interesting was right at the end. This is also where Ruth and Amanda started to act like actual human beings and not just a 2d version of themselves. If the rest of the book was like the last few chapters I may have rated this slightly higher. Also make sure you like abrupt endings because that’s all you’re left with. No answers - I just assumed they all died and the world ended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Vomit, and Blood
Moderate: Medical content, Alcohol, and Sexism
Minor: Body shaming and Grief
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: Blood, Confinement, Excrement, and Vomit
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