The Book
A magnetic novel about two families, strangers to each other, who are forced together on a long weekend gone terribly wrong Amanda and Clay head to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a holiday: a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they've rented for the week. But with a late-night knock on the door, the spell is broken. Ruth and G. H., an older couple who claim to own the home, have arrived there in a panic. These strangers say that a sudden power outage has swept the city, and - with nowhere else to turn - they have come to the country in search of shelter. But with the TV and internet down, and no phone service, the facts are unknowable. Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple - and vice versa? What has happened back in New York? Is the holiday home, isolated from civilisation, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one another?
In Rumaan Alam's "Leave the World Behind," as a reader I was drawn into a tense narrative set in a remote Long Island vacation home, where a family's peaceful retreat was interrupted by the unexpected arrival of another couple claiming to be the owners. The novel explores themes of fear, inequality, racism, and societal breakdown amidst a broader crisis marked by a mysterious blackout and communication failures.
Despite its promising premise, the book falls short in delivering a compelling narrative. Throughout the story, the actions and decisions of the characters often feel implausible, hindering my ability to fully engage with the plot. Additionally, while Alam touches on important societal issues, in my view the exploration of these themes lacks depth and fails to resonate meaningfully with me.
Ultimately, "Leave the World Behind" was a disappointment, leaving me questioning the coherence of its plot and the significance of its thematic elements.
Film - Leave The World Behind
Leave the World Behind is a 2023 American apocalyptic, psychological, thriller film written and directed by Sam Esmail. It is based on the 2020 novel by Rumaan Alam. The film stars Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha'la, and Kevin Bacon as they attempt to make sense of the sequential rapid breakdown in phones, television, and other regularly used technology which points to a potential cataclysm.
Amanda Sandford arranges an impromptu weekend getaway at a vacation rental to spend quality time together with her husband Clay and their kids, Archie and Rose. While shopping for groceries, Amanda sees a man stocking up on large quantities of canned food and water. Later, while the family relaxes at a nearby beach, they evade an oil tanker that runs ashore. When they return to the house, they notice the TV and Wi-Fi are not working.
That night, the owner, George H Scott, and his daughter, Ruth, arrive at the house. Seeking shelter, G.H. explains that a blackout caused their return. Amanda is suspicious and doesn't want them to stay. Clay however trusts them and lets them stay the night.
The next morning, Rose is frustrated that the Wi-Fi and TV are still down, which has prevented her from watching the series finale of Friends. Amanda notices four news alerts on her phone about the blackout, the third of which is about hackers, and the final one shows a corrupted message.
Attempting to learn about the disruptions and fix the Wi-Fi, Clay drives to town while G.H. heads to his neighbour’s house. Clay abandons a Spanish-speaking woman seeking help and drives through leaflets, that are written in Arabic, and are being dropped from a drone, while G.H. searches the neighbour’s home, he discovers the wreckage of a plane crash on the nearby beach, and narrowly avoids a second one.
Elsewhere, Rose walks along with Archie in the nearby woods, where they come across an empty shed, and Archie removes a tick from his ankle on the way back. Returning to the house, G.H. confides to Amanda the events he witnessed. He theorizes that nationwide satellite connectivity has been disrupted, but he is cut off by a loud, shrill noise. Amanda recalls the man stockpiling supplies, whom G.H. assumes is Danny, his contractor. Clay returns shaken with the leaflet. Fed up, the Sandfords flee the rental, intending to drive to Amanda's sister in New Jersey, but find the highway jammed with collided self-driving Teslas; they narrowly avoid more incoming cars, and they are forced to return to G.H.'s house.
The next morning, Archie's teeth inexplicably fall out. Believing it is related to the tick bite, G.H. suggests visiting Danny for medicine. Rose is now missing, and G.H. and Clay take Archie to visit Danny, while Amanda and Ruth search for Rose. Meanwhile, G.H. and Clay attempt to convince Danny to help Archie, which results in an armed standoff between G.H. and Danny. Clay intervenes, convincing Danny to help Archie. Afterward, Danny tells G.H. that another neighbour may be equipped with an underground bunker and suggests that the noise and Archie's teeth falling out are the results of a microwave weapon.
Rose finds the neighbour’s house with the bunker. Inside, a computer message warns of elevated radiation levels across multiple U.S. cities. She finds a DVD of Friends, and watches the series finale.
Sam Esmail's film adaptation of "Leave the World Behind" offered a visually striking and suspenseful interpretation of Rumaan Alam's novel. With a talented ensemble cast, the film effectively captured the escalating tension and uncertainty faced by its characters in the midst of a rapidly unravelling crisis.
Esmail skilfully translated the novel's central themes of fear, distrust, and societal breakdown to the screen, creating a sense of unease that kept me on edge throughout the film. From the eerie silence of the deserted vacation home to the chaotic scenes of technological collapse and societal unrest, the film immerses you in a gripping tale of survival and human vulnerability.
While the film successfully maintains suspense and visual intrigue, it does occasionally falter in its pacing and character development, leaving some narrative threads feeling underexplored. Nevertheless, "Leave the World Behind" stands as a thought-provoking cinematic experience that offers a compelling exploration of contemporary anxieties and the fragility of human connections.
Comparison film versus book:
I read the book first, quite a while ago and as soon as the film came out, I was keen to see how the adaptation of "Leave the World Behind" transferred to the screen. Surprisingly, for me the film edges out the book by offering a more immersive and visually compelling experience. While both the book and the film grapple with similar themes and narrative elements, the film succeeds in translating these aspects to the screen with greater impact, intensity and understanding. There were some differences, the owner GH came back to the house with his wife and not his daughter and the ending in the book was different to the film. I will not add the spoiler here. But, neither made too much difference to the overall theme of the story. Despite its occasional shortcomings in pacing and character development, the film ultimately delivered a more engaging and memorable interpretation of Rumaan Alam's original story, earning it a slightly higher rating of 3 stars compared to the book's 2-star review.
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