Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
**3.5-stars**
Leave the World Behind is essentially Paul Tremblay’s The Cabin at the End of the World written for people with a subscription to the New Yorker.
While I was reading this, I felt like I had read it before and frankly, for me, I enjoyed how Tremblay did it more.
Amanda and Clay, a married couple with two teenaged children, have a lovely family vacation planned in a remote area of Long Island.
Their goal is the same as many people going on vacation, to let loose and unplug from the stressors of life in the city. If they happen to reconnect as a family, all the better.
Arriving at the rental house, they’re quite pleased; it’s perfect. Everything they were hoping for. The kids can’t wait to get into the pool.
Over the course of the first evening, Amanda and Clay really begin to settle into vacation mode. All is going swimmingly, until quite late when there’s an unexpected knocking at the door.
Surprised at the interruption, they’re even more surprised when they open the door and find an older black couple standing on the porch.
They say their names are G.H. and Ruth and this is their house.
They’re quite apologetic, but explain that something is happening in the city. They aren’t exactly sure what, but something big. There’s a blackout.
They had been out at an event and didn’t feel safe returning to their apartment. They plead with Amanda and Clay to let them stay, which after a quick debate, the couple agrees to do.
The two couples stay up, having a few drinks, and speculating on the bizarre turn of events. In their minds, Amanda and Clay are questioning whether or not to believe these people at all. They have no cell service, no wifi, there’s no way to check their story.
The morning finds no new information, as the tension and uncertainty continues to build.
This is absolutely a tense and captivating story. You get a glimpse into all of the character’s inner thoughts and at times, it’s confusing AF.
Their reactions and musings, it’s all so potent. I needed to know what was happening!
I think if I hadn’t already read The Cabin at the End of the World, I would have enjoyed this more and given it a higher rating.
However, as mentioned earlier, there were just so many similarities between this book and that one, and I personally, enjoyed the Horror writing style of Tremblay’s version more. It was a better fit for my tastes.
With this being said, I appreciate what this story accomplished. The level of tension and sense of dread this author’s words were able to illicit; it’s powerful.
While I know this may leave some Readers underwhelmed, it’s smart, eerie and subtly terrifying. I would definitely be interested in picking up more from Rumaan Alam.
