Amanda and Clay, and their children Rose and Archie, are taking a vacation from NYC. They rented an Airbnb on Long Island where they plan to spend a quiet week of rest and relaxation.
On their second or third night, there is a late night knock at the door. A couple is there saying it is their house and that something has happened in the city. GH and Ruth drove the couple of hours instead of returning to their city apartment.
They cannot say what, exactly, has happened. Radios, cell phones, cable and internet are out. They request to stay in the downstairs bedroom until someone can figure out what is going on.
At first the couples are focused on small things. Ruth feels strange having people in her home - usually the house is cleaned and put back together before she and GH return. Clay and Amanda feel strange having the owners there - should be get their money back, should they leave or stay?
The chaos and uncertainty come across in the writing, making readers on edge as they hope to find out what caused the terror. But like the characters, we will never know.
Alam has taken a popular genre and created a story that others often gloss over - the onset of the change. It is an effective and unsettling tale.
Alam, Rumaan. (2020). Leave the World Behind. New York: Ecco.
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