Leave the World Behind. By Rumaan Alam. 2020.
Psychological thriller. Apocalyptic fiction. Mystery. Drama.
A family’s vacation is upended when two strangers arrive with news of a mysterious unfolding disaster, forcing both families to survive a collapsing world they cannot understand.
The vibe here is that of a dream turning into a nightmare. Two families, previously strangers, share a house that is cut off from the outside world while something serious appears to be happening. Exactly what that is is something they do not understand and are powerless to correct or control.
The voice in this story is that of once-confident people who are realizing that they are in over their heads and may be in the process of losing everything.
I discovered this story while writing Noah, a novel that has many similarities. However, in my story, one character understands what is happening. But he is not at liberty to say what that is.
AUTHORS – I write short book reviews that focus on voice and vibe. They are useful to querying authors searching for comp titles. There are more on my website.