Summary of Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

By Condensed Books

A high-quality summary of Rumaan Alam ́s book Leaves the World Behind including chapter details and an analysis of the main themes of the original book.

About the original book:

Clay, Amanda, and their teenage children Rose and Archie is on vacation when Leave the World Behind begins. The family is going from New York to a well-appointed property on Long Island that they have rented for the week, and they are looking forward to getting away. Amanda and the kids stare at their phones while Clay drives, knowing that their connections will become poor or non-existent once they arrive at the house.

The family relaxes by the pool and settles in for the first night and day, enjoying one other's company. Amanda, on the other hand, is troubled by the idea that someone is watching her, and on their second night together, after the kids have gone to bed, Amanda and Clay are startled by a knock at the door. The elderly Black couple that owns the rental house, G. H. and Ruth, are at the door. G. H. and Ruth have driven in from the Bronx, visibly terrified, after experiencing a city-wide blackout and knew they wouldn't be able to return.

• Language: English
• Publisher: C.B. Publishers
• Release date: Jul 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005208967

Book preview

OVERVIEW

Leave the World Behind (2020) by Rumaan Alam is a piece of apocalyptic fiction that explores the link between race and class in the aftermath of an unidentified event that cuts off all contact and forces two families together. The book employs omniscient narration and interpersonal strife to amplify the anxiety of alienation in the Information Age, portraying the apocalypse as a human-scale event. It was longlisted for the National Book Award after being widely praised.

SUMMARY

Clay, Amanda, and their teenage children Rose and Archie is on vacation when Leave the World Behind begins. The family is going from New York to a well-appointed property on Long Island that they have rented for the week, and they are looking forward to getting away. Amanda and the kids stare at their phones while Clay drives, knowing that their connections will become poor or non-existent once they arrive at the house.

The family relaxes by the pool and settles in for the first night and day, enjoying one other's company. Amanda, on the other hand, is troubled by the idea that someone is watching her, and on their second night together, after the kids have gone to bed, Amanda and Clay are startled by a knock at the door. The elderly Black couple that owns the rental house, G. H. and Ruth, are at the door. G. H. and Ruth have driven in from the Bronx, visibly terrified, after experiencing a city-wide blackout and knew they wouldn't be able to return.

Deven thought. H. and Ruth are telling the truth, Amanda does not trust them and is hesitant to allow them to stay in their own home. Clay disagrees, claiming that it is the correct thing to do, citing the fact that the internet is down and the emergency broadcast is on TV as evidence. The two couples share a meal and an awkward night of talk laced with class comparisons and unnerving supposition about what's going on.

Rose notices a deer migration in her garden the next morning, which she keeps a secret from her family. Amanda's phone is buzzing with storm alarms, but she can't make out the most recent one. G. H. wants to rely on his contractor and friend Danny, while Clay decides to drive into town to check what's going on.

While Clay is away, the rest of the family tries to have a regular vacation day, which includes sipping wine by the pool, but emotions remain high and Amanda becomes inebriated. Meanwhile, Archie and Rose go for a walk in the woods, where they come across a neighbor's house, while Clay loses track of time without his phone's GPS.

He meets a woman on the side of the road who is unable to communicate in English. He can't comprehend her because she's in a panic. He abandons her and drives away, fearful.

While G. H. and Amanda discuss G. H.'s work in high finance, they hear a terrible, all-encompassing sound that cracks the glass door, leading Amanda to flee into the woods after her children in a panic.

She reappears with her children, safe but filthy, and becomes enraged with Ruth and G. H. for attempting to remain calm. Clay returns home, shocked by the incident, and lies about the woman he met to everyone.

Everyone takes a breather and relaxes; the kids snooze, Ruth wants to clean and do laundry, and Clay and G. H. plan to go into town first thing in the morning. Archie has a high temperature and vomits on the bed as he wakes up. Ruth encourages them to stay while helping Amanda clean up after him, and her annoyance with Amanda begins to fade.

The adults eat supper and get drunk together, but they can't agree on what they should do next. Amanda and Clay go to the bedroom for sex, following which Amanda goes to the nude hot tub, where she meets G. H. and joins