Leave the World Behind

The October Barnes & Noble Book Club selection was Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam and, even though it was unbelievably unsettling, I couldn't put it down! Amanda and Clay, a middle class white couple, leave New York City for a family vacation in a secluded area of Long Island with their teenage son Archie and daughter Rose. They begin their stay in a luxurious Airbnb with barbecues by the pool and trips to the beach but their idyllic getaway changes when the owners of the house, a wealthy black couple named G.H. and Ruth Washington, knock on their door in the middle of the night. The older couple is seeking refuge from a mysterious power outage in the city. Amanda and Clay are initially wary of the strangers but invite them in and soon the six of them are stranded together without any form of communication with the outside world. A series of unnerving events, such as the unusual appearance of animals, a deafening noise, and worrisome physical symptoms, leave them terrified and desperate for information. This novel is incredibly compelling because it begins as a thought-provoking commentary on race, social class, and privilege but then it taps into the zeitgeist of our times with discussions of disease, death, fear of the unknown, mass destruction, and the apocalypse. What I found so fascinating is the juxtaposition between the abject terror that they are experiencing and the need to carry on with the mundane tasks associated with daily life. I thought it was a very accurate response to the end of the world. It was also very illuminating to me that the characters are practically incapacitated when they can no longer rely on their cellphones (one of the characters becomes horribly lost driving to the nearest town without GPS even though he has instructions). The fact that there are so few details about the cataclysmic event (but endless descriptions of the minutiae of their activities) adds tremendously to the sense of menace. I found the ambiguous ending to be infuriating at first but I have not been able to stop thinking about it since I finished and now I feel that there was really no other way the novel could have ended. Our discussion with the author on Facebook last night cemented my thoughts when he said that the fear of the unknown is sometimes worse than the fear of something specific.  I also loved his comment about the power of art to heal which is something that did not immediately jump out at me when I was reading.  One of the main characters longs to listen to the music from Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky one more time before the world ends because it is the most beautiful thing she has ever heard. Alum indicated that he included that because when humanity seems to be at its worst we tend to seek out the best of what man has created and I loved that! It is quite brilliant but I do have a few complaints. The third person stream of consciousness jumps around from person to person very abruptly so it is sometimes difficult to keep track of whose head we are inside. I also found the prose to be a bit flowery at times (it reminded me of when my sophomores would use a thesaurus to make me think they were better writers).  This will not be for everyone (especially those struggling with the fear and isolation of our current situation) but it is definitely a book that will stay with you for a long time and I highly recommend it.

Note:  The November Barnes & Noble Book Club selection is The Cold Millions by Jess Walter. Once again, there will be a live discussion with the author via Facebook on December 1.  Go here for more information.