Leave the World Behind

Leave the World Behind

A magnetic novel about two families, strangers to each other, who are forced together on a long weekend gone terribly wrong

Amanda and Clay head out to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a vacation: a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter, and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they’ve rented for the week. But a late-night knock on the door breaks the spell. Ruth and G. H. are an older black couple—it’s their house, and they’ve arrived in a panic. They bring the news that a sudden blackout has swept the city. But in this rural area—with the TV and internet now down, and no cell phone service—it’s hard to know what to believe.

Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple—and vice versa? What happened back in New York? Is the vacation home, isolated from civilization, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one another? 

Suspenseful and provocative, Rumaan Alam’s third novel is keenly attuned to the complexities of parenthood, race, and class. Leave the World Behind explores how our closest bonds are reshaped—and unexpected new ones are forged—in moments of crisis. 

Title : Leave the World Behind
Edition Language : English
ISBN : 9780062667632
Format Type :

    Leave the World Behind Reviews

  • Roxane

    A white family is vacationing in the Hamptons when the black owners of the home they are renting show up. Together the families must figure out what’s going on, because something terrible is clearly...

  • Roman Clodia

    A potentially interesting scenario here, though one rather overplayed and everywhere due to Covid, but the writing had me grating my teeth right from the start: 'they huddled and inspected like Carava...

  • Nilufer Ozmekik

    Get ready to watch this book’s adaptation on Netflix. Such an amazing team on the board: Homecoming and Mr. Robot’s director Sam Ismael and fabulous cast including Denzel Washington and Julia Robe...

  • Cindy

    This book is the most low-key and vague thriller I’ve read and would therefore be best enjoyed by readers who like very scaled back horror that focuses less on action and more on subtle feelings of ...

  • Frank Phillips

    This was a book I was very much looking forward to, considering all the positive hype it has received, and it's relevant subject matter, I could not wait to pick this one up. Unfortunately, this will ...

  • JanB

    4.5 starsA middle-aged white couple and their two teenage children have their vacation at a luxurious, secluded Airbnb interrupted by a late night knock at the door. The black owners of the home are a...

  • Michelle

    Prepare to be freaked the fuck out!!! Amanda and Clay along with their two teenage children head out to a luxurious vacation home in the Hamptons. They spend the day lounging poolside, eating, drinkin...

  • Alexander Christian

    Leave this Book Behind...

  • Elyse Walters

    Audiobook.... read by Marin Ireland“Love goes on after a bomb”....And....“All anyone really wanted was home and food”..... ....Sausage pasta, wine, Chardonnay, whiskey, carrots and hummus, egg...

  • Elle

    I don’t know how to talk about this book. It’s just so out of left field. I don’t even know if I liked it. But I’ll try to vaguely review it here, as just about everything that I want to say c...