Book Review: Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
Leave the World Behind is rare and lucid, a brightly atmospheric novel that leaves the impression of a vivid dream, gradually becoming a nightmare. Finalist for the 2020 National Book Award, there is no doubt that this book addresses many of the nightmarish realities of today’s world. In a strangely realistic response to apocalyptic events, characters take cover within the comforts of their own home. They wait to understand something that seems inexplicable. Much like today’s pandemic, the end of the world comes unexpectedly and all at once. It forces these characters to confront not only their deepest fears but also their own humanity in the face of complete worldly collapse.
What It’s About:
The unnatural logic of dreams governs a modern family’s cookie cutter vacation. The family’s perfect escape goes drastically wrong when the homeowners of their rental home show up on their doorstep. From here, the story takes a turn. Suspense builds as protagonists Amanda, Clay, Ruth, and George grasp desperately for domesticity and order in the face of chaos. Beyond the boundaries of this perfectly crafted paradise lies unknowable horror. A blackout in New York marks the start of something darkly prodigious. Yet, as the characters grasp at what remains of normalcy, they begin to realize that they cannot hide from the terrors that lie beyond their own home.
Beneath it all is a subtly brilliant commentary on today’s society, on the capacity for trauma and suffering that exists in the world, and the instinct to hide from this trauma within the walls of our own homes. Perhaps impossible to ignore is the fact of the homeowners’ race; they are an elderly black couple who also happen to be incredibly wealthy. At one point, the stereotypical white mother, Amanda, comments that their vacation rental, “didn’t seem to her like the sort of house where black people lived” (38).
The idea of Ruth and George’s race is often mentioned and then brushed over. It is an element that remains inconspicuous yet important, especially in the minds of Amanda and Clay. Often Amanda finds ways to blame the couple for ruining what in her disillusionment might’ve remained a perfect vacation. Their covert racism is one of many underlying thematics bolstering a seemingly simplistic mystery.
Despite all this, buried beneath the darkness of the plot lies some hope. The humanity and kindness, the desire to take care of one another despite race, age, and gender. These moments are perhaps the most important of all. Alam begins the book with an epigraph from Bill Callahan’s “Angela” which reads, “Love goes on like birdsong, As soon as possible after a bomb.” It is perhaps a strange place to begin such a novel, yet the epigraph serves as a reminder to the reader. It provides us with an opportunity, to seek out moments of compassion and love. If Leave the World Behind reminds us of humanity’s flaws, it also reminds us of the value in companionship.
Who Should Read It:
This book is one that rewards the avid reader. While it is packed with suspense, the novel defies many conventions of the thriller and mystery genres. Fans of hard-boiled thrillers may be surprised by this novel, as it is unlike anything that comes before it. Leave the World Behind redefines these genres, broadening the horizons with its dark and horror filled pages. In terms of genre, Leave the World Behind certainly leans towards literary fiction. Those who love to read will appreciate the lyrical flow of Alam’s prose and the Woolfian fluidity of perspective.
Honestly, there’s a reason why this book was on so many of the year-end booklists. It is a book that packs a punch and keeps you turning those pages with an insatiable curiosity. Its strange plot might appeal to anyone. I would recommend this to a lot of different readers, as long as they don’t shy away from darker topics.
Rating: 5/5
Ultimately, it was almost impossible to put my finger one thing that made this book so marvelous. All I know is that the pages kept on turning until I found myself at the end. Alam is a magician of a writer, crafting a story that is both substantiative and riveting. It is my literary dinner and dessert all wrapped up into one. Read this book if you’re looking for a sharp witted, beautifully written, and unconventional thriller.
“They both were and were not alone. Fate was collective but the rest of it was always individual, a thing impossible to escape. They lay that way for a long time. They didn’t talk because there was nothing to discuss. The sounds of their sleeping children were relentless as the ocean.”
Leave the World Behind, pg. 190