Leave the World Behind - Rumaan Alam

-


Tense, claustrophobic, and unnervingly-descriptive, “Leave the World Behind” will certainly not be up every reader’s alley, but it was right up mine. 

The first 20 pages were a clunky adjustment for me, mostly because they felt overly-descriptive and overly-wordy. Either I acclimated to that really quickly, or the book eased back on its robust vocabulary after the first few chapters; I want to go with the latter. Alam's narration is very observational and to some may feel slow, but for me, that simply contributed to the high degree of suspense in the story. 

If you’re a fan of Paul Tremblay’s (dare I say “masterpiece”) “Cabin at the End of the World,” you’re bound to love this book for its eerie simplicity, its constant sense of underlying dread, and its complex, relational element. 

This is the sort of book that begs discussion afterward—just a great piece of literary suspense!

Rating: 4 Stars

Publication Details: Out Now, Ecco Books
 

Popular posts from this blog

Let Him In - William Friend

-
Image
  In the wake of his wife Pippa's death, Alfie is doing everything he can to make life carry on as normal for their twin girls Sylvie and Cassia. Tucked away in their family home of Hart House in London, there isn't much to break the monotony of grief or to fill the Pippa-shaped void now left in their lives. Before long, Sylvie and Cassia struggle to sleep. "Daddy, there's a man in our room," they say. What Alfie dismisses initially as the girls harmlessly processing their loss through the form of an imaginary friend soon becomes something more unsettling. "Daddy, he said he's going to take us away," the girls report pleasantly. Black Mamba, he's called. He wants a seat at the dinner table, he protects the girls at night. He whispers things to them. Things that grow darker in the night. As the days pass, it's clear that something sinister walks the halls of Hart House. Cassia and Sylvie become silhouettes of their former, vibrant selves
Read more

Dreaming of Water - A.J. Banner

-
Image
  Seventeen years ago, the coastal town of Heron Bay, Washington, was wrecked by tragedy. While her parents and others in the community indulged in one of the season's many parties, young Nina Johansen vanished and drowned--in a reflecting pool at the edge of the property.  Nearly two decades later, Astrid has yet to fill the void left by her younger sister's mysterious death. When an unexpected and cryptic call from her Aunt Maude summons her back to Heron Bay after all this time, it becomes clear to Astrid that the truth of that night seventeen years ago refuses to stay buried. And the secrets of Nina's death are closer than she realizes.  "Dreaming of Water" is an absolutely gorgeously-written story of mystery, loss, and suspense. Similar to "In Another Light," Banner's writing is descriptive, transportive, and maintains an impressive veil of intrigue over the entire story without sacrificing pacing or plot details. To reveal too many more details
Read more

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance - Alison Espach

-
Image
Best described as a dark coming-of-age novel, "Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance" is as thought-provoking as it is poignant. Like many coming-of-age stories, it's much more character-driven than plot-driven, though there is still very much a central plot to the story.   For readers looking for a missing-persons thriller, be not deceived by this (still perfect, if you ask me) title, because this is not that. This is a commentary on grief, and one that's so beautifully done. Our main character unexpectedly loses her sister, and consequently is forced to grow up and navigate life without her at the epicenter of a normal family sliding into dysfunction and disconnection as a result of their very different journeys through grief.  Espach's prose is deeply-moving and darkly-funny; this book is a free-fall into the introspective teenage mind of Sally Holt and what the gaping absence of her sister Kathy means for her life, past, present, and future. If you are someone go
Read more