With only rare glimpses beyond the perspectives of the main characters, Leave the World Behind plunges the listener into the same tense, paranoid state that the characters experience as their fears evolve from mundane concerns to unimaginable horrors. But as the consequences of the unnamed disaster become more apparent, the veneer of civilization slides away as survival becomes less of a given. The two families settle into a routine of forced camaraderie, unable to get news from the outside world, and relying increasingly on each other. They enjoy the luxury and languor of their getaway, until the house's owners, an older Black couple, show up unexpectedly, late at night, fleeing from a wide-spread power outage in the city.

Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple-and vice versa? What happened back in New York? Is the vacation home, isolated from civilization, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one other?“This fraught and claustrophobic psychological thriller begins innocently enough, with a family leaving New York for a long weekend at a rented house near the beach. But in this rural area-with the TV and internet now down, and no cell phone service-it's hard to know what to believe. They bring the news that a sudden blackout has swept the city. are an older couple-it's their house, and they've arrived in a panic. But a late-night knock on the door breaks the spell. Leave the World Behind explores how our closest bonds are reshaped-and unexpected new ones are forged-in moments of crisis.Īmanda and Clay head out to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a vacation: 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. Stillman, Nick Krishnamurthy, Rumaan AlamĪ Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!įinalist for the 2020 National Book Award in FictionĪ Best Book of the Year From: The Washington Post * Time * NPR * Elle * Esquire * Kirkus * Library Journal * The Chicago Public Library * The New York Public Library * BookPage * The Globe and Mail * EW.com * The LA Times * USA Today * InStyle * The New Yorker * AARP * Publisher's Lunch * LitHub * Book Marks * Electric Literature * Brooklyn Based * The Boston GlobeĪ magnetic novel about two families, strangers to each other, who are forced together on a long weekend gone terribly wrong.įrom the bestselling author of Rich and Pretty comes a suspenseful and provocative novel keenly attuned to the complexities of parenthood, race, and class. Executive Producers Barack and Michelle Obama, Tonia Davis, Daniel M. Written for the Screen and Directed by Sam Esmail.

Soon to be a Netflix film starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha'la, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans and Kevin Bacon.

Leave the world behind audiobook