Leave the World Behind
Book description
*A THE TIMES #1 BESTSELLER*
*THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*
*A BARACK OBAMA SUMMER READING PICK 2021*
'Easily the best thing I have read all year' KILEY REID, AUTHOR OF SUCH A FUN AGE
'Intense, incisive, I loved this and have still not quite shaken off the unease' DAVID NICHOLLS…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Leave the World Behind as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
This novel pulled me in quickly with its portrayal of a middle-class family hoping to spend a relaxing week in a rented home they could never afford to own. The family’s plans go awry quickly when the owners show up at door wanting to stay there as a refuge from the total blackout in NYC. Adding suspense to witty social commentary, Alam creates a sense that something very bad is happening, without ever describing what that bad thing is. I had a few ideas, but the author outsmarted and surprised me with the ending. I feel he captured a lot…
From Jan's list on the world we're leaving to future generations.
A surprising choice, perhaps, for a book list framed around comedy, as the lingering feeling this book leaves you with is closer to a deep dread. But the family at the center of this book—who are on vacation during what very much seems to be the beginning of the end of the world—exhibit such a specific and well-observed type of wealth and whiteness. The book’s social satire adds some levity amid really dire circumstances. And the language in this novel is just delicious.
From Tajja's list on that find the funny in an unjust world.
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