Reviews

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

Only show reviews with written explanations

jakekilroy's review

4.0

We do so many tiny things that make us feel comforted and/or safe. We put endless effort and time into developing our identities and skill sets, believing we are fully and finally make ourselves whole. But once we're placed outside of our comfort zone, largely and absurdly due to the catastrophically unknown, all of it seems so preposterously useless. When we are reminded how fragile everything is without knowledge of the impending threat, it's as if what can destroy us could be in everything, from the sky to the ground with the air in between. All that you once relied on to make sure others knew about who you are (a New Yorker subscription, the ability to make the perfect omelette, being a supportive spouse or friend, etc) does nothing to combat the bleak oblivion you can't define. Every sign of your world off its axis becomes a terrifying and puzzling problem (even something as mundane as birds you've never seen before). You can deal with a problem, in theory at least when it's too big, as long as you can name it. But there's a bewildering lack of action when you're unsure if what's outside is a war, an alien invasion, a nuclear detonation, a power failure, a plague, or whatever have you. All that you have is your uncertainty, and that itself leaves you with nothing, tactically and existentially, and I was delighted by every simple saving action each character took her to be themselves against the world, against the void, against the entire performance that is being alive and aware of your surroundings.

isr's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

+innately mysterious
+pov switch with every paragraph

audiobookworm's review

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mysterious slow-paced

2.5

leggup's review

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1.0

I considered quitting this book several times. I really should have. Although there were occasional poignant sentences, the story was barely a story and the characters were flat and overly sexualized.

If you are reading this review to decide whether you should continue to the end to "find out what happens," don't bother. There's no narrative payout.