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A review by magnoliabloomfield
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.
1.0
With prose more purple than Thanos’ ass, this book tells a two page short story in 72k words. Maybe I’m just not one of those intellectual types that can easily spot the satire and nuances of books that try to make a commentary on society, maybe I’m just a poor schlub trying to find entertainment to escape my life. But I did not find entertainment here. I didn’t find anything realistic or likable. I only found profound irritation and disgust.
I pretty much DNFed by page 42 even though I had wanted to since page 10 where the mother “could see her children already wiggled into their quick drying Lycra” otherwise known as swim suits “hurtling toward the placid blue. Archie, long limbs and acute angles, barely convex chest sprouting brown twists at the pink nipples; Rose, curvy and jiggling, downy with baby hair, her polka dot one piece straining just so at the legs, pudendum in relief.” Like ok thanks for thinking of your 17 year old sons nipples, and your even younger daughter’s genitals- yeah Google “pudendum” and be as grossed out as I am.
He lists about 55 specific items she bought at the grocery store in one paragraph that was 37 lines long, took up a whole page in all, and lord help me for counting: 418 words.
The sex and masturbation scenes were not what the kids today call spicy, it feels like you were a voyeur but you never consented to it. Highly uncomfortable.
I wish I’d never spent any time or money on this book.
I pretty much DNFed by page 42 even though I had wanted to since page 10 where the mother “could see her children already wiggled into their quick drying Lycra” otherwise known as swim suits “hurtling toward the placid blue. Archie, long limbs and acute angles, barely convex chest sprouting brown twists at the pink nipples; Rose, curvy and jiggling, downy with baby hair, her polka dot one piece straining just so at the legs, pudendum in relief.” Like ok thanks for thinking of your 17 year old sons nipples, and your even younger daughter’s genitals- yeah Google “pudendum” and be as grossed out as I am.
He lists about 55 specific items she bought at the grocery store in one paragraph that was 37 lines long, took up a whole page in all, and lord help me for counting: 418 words.
The sex and masturbation scenes were not what the kids today call spicy, it feels like you were a voyeur but you never consented to it. Highly uncomfortable.
I wish I’d never spent any time or money on this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, and Vomit