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nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Vomit, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Excrement, Islamophobia, Medical content, Racism, Suicide, and War
sarah984's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
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
2.0
There were some things here that had the potential to be interesting - the "guess who’s coming to dinner" scenario with the white people who desperately want to believe they're not racist (or that they don't SEEM racist, these characters are preoccupied with seeming) but resent the class/race divisions not going the way they would expect, the mundane weirdness of living through a disaster, some of the things with the animals. However, the prose is extremely dense, full of short sentences, weird metaphors and unpleasant sexuality, and in the end it just kind of felt like a chore to read it. It also drove me insane that they spent all that time complaining about not knowing anything but refused to listen to the radio.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Vomit
Moderate: Alcohol, Cancer, Confinement, Excrement, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Racism
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Islamophobia, Suicide, Terminal illness, and War
There is a scene involving a person’s teeth falling out.jourdanicus's review against another edition
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Body horror
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Excrement, Medical content, Racism, and Child death
sorcha's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Confinement
Moderate: Death
Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Excrement, Vomit, and Racism
sallysimply's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What a weird, layered, compelling read! I had absolutely zero expectations going into this, and it seems that I missed a lot of the hype. I could not put it down and was mad at myself for starting it at night because it meant that I had to go to sleep halfway through and finish it in the morning.
I love that there's no resolution, I love that everything is still a mystery at the end, I love that this book doesn't fit neatly into a single genre, I love that almost everyone is unlikable in some way cuz that's how humans are, I love that this is a snapshot of humanity when everything falls apart, I love that I learned a bunch of new words.
I will almost certainly be re-reading this at some point.
I love that there's no resolution, I love that everything is still a mystery at the end, I love that this book doesn't fit neatly into a single genre, I love that almost everyone is unlikable in some way cuz that's how humans are, I love that this is a snapshot of humanity when everything falls apart, I love that I learned a bunch of new words.
I will almost certainly be re-reading this at some point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Vomit
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Excrement, Islamophobia, and Suicide
whatsjessreading's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Vomit
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, and Sexual content
Minor: Excrement and Racism
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
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: Blood, Body horror, Excrement, and Vomit
hmann's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Vomit, Medical trauma, Excrement, and Confinement
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