A review by adamsbookshelf
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

sad 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

I'm a little torn on this novel. I enjoyed the alternative view on the apocalypse story but this novel felt a little off. My first problem is the story itself. We get to know literally nothing about the circumstances that have fallen on to this world. We know something like war happened but never see the characters venture out into the chaos. I enjoyed this blind approach but it did leave the overall story feeling unfinished. My second problem with this book is the oversexualization. TW for sexual content in spoiler
I feel like every character besides the 8 year old had some sort of sexual experience. The oldest child is 14-17 (I can't remember the exact age) and we read about is smooth hairless skin, and how he prefers to masturbate and even details about his semen coming out in ropes.
. That all left me uncomfortable and makes me wonder if nudity and self expression was supposed to be a theme for this novel and I just missed it. My third and final problem was the ending. We ended in such a weird spot and when the novel was getting good. This was also an abrupt ending and left us feeling unsatisfied. 

I wish I liked this book because the concept was so strong but I just felt underwhelmed. Shout out to the flamingos!
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