Leave the World Behind (2020)

GREAT!
I don’t understand why people didn’t like this book. I think it is brilliant. It’s poetry. Everything is happening somewhere else and in the future. ( )

This book takes you into the "Twilight Zone" with the unknown variables of a black-out hitting the NY area. Clay and Amanda rent a house in a remote area within driving distance with their two kids for a vacation without cell coverage and TV. Soon after they arrive, GH and Ruth, knock on their door. They are the owners and they want the renters to leave so they can feel safe in their own home outside the city. The book takes you into their lives of not knowing what's going to happen as if a hurricane or some disaster is headed their way. It's brilliantly written and makes the reader wonder if this could happen outside the novel - to us. ( )

I knew the book was divisive, but until I’d picked it up, I hadn’t realized just how at odds my feelings would be. The basic premise was interesting, and the whole subtext of racism and classism was done quite well, too. Characterization seemed mostly on point, especially the men and how they viewed their relationship with others in the face of the apocalypse.

However, it was the language that got to me. Alam has a way with words, almost classical but not quite. See, he writes beautiful prose like this:

Of course, they’d never heard a noise like that before. You didn’t hear such a noise; you experienced it, endured it, survived it, witnessed it. You could fairly say that their lives could be divided into two: the period before they’d heard that noise and the period after.
But then on another page he writes this: “his penis jerked itself towards the sun, a yoga salutation, bouncing, then stiff at the house's allure.” I mean, what the hell? The image is crystal-clear but feels unnecessary, and it makes him look like he’s trying too hard (pun intended).

His use of language lends well to the stream of consciousness style he went for, offering observations from multiple characters who feel and act like real people. Alam also deftly handles tension and fear while keeping things vague and obtuse. The deer scene, in particular, was terrifying. The flamingos were surreal, to say the least.

And yet, the narrative often feels bloated. Alam spends too much time on gratuitous details, presenting them mostly on a surface level. The characterization could’ve been deeper because of it, but it feels like a missed opportunity. It reads like a long-ish short story rather than a novel.

Ultimately, it was an interesting low-level, personal look at the apocalypse. It just wasn’t wholly satisfying. ( )

The premise of this novel is interesting, but the writing didn't work for me. Gratuitous sex, metaphors that didn't work well, and other inconsistencies took away from its potential. Dystopia, post-apocalypse in the Hamptons. Out of touch rich people caught unawares and unprepared for disaster. It did not ring realistic to me, but having never had to survive an apocalypse, who am I to judge? ( )

Really interesting concept. And I felt the ending was appropriate, if abrupt. But the characterization is just - bad. These are not real people with motivations that make sense. The characters observations and behaviors are bizarre. All the people in this book are shitty - so who cares what happens to them?

And I want to take away the author’s thesaurus. ( )