Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

November 1, 2020 (by Tara Repucci)

I went into this book knowing nothing and I am so glad that I did. All you need to know is this: it is a compulsively readable mystery, an anthropological study of this moment, a story about strangers and a haunting meditation on disaster. Read this when you are in the mood for a panicky thriller that mirrors life in 2020 with eerie accuracy. It is The Road by Cormac McCarthy meets The Vacationers by Emma Straub.

Best paired with cold hard lemons, organic hot dogs in inexpensive buns and twelve-dollar maple syrup in a faceted glass bottle like a tacky perfume.

XO, Tara

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