Rumaan Alam's novel Leave the World Behind was published in 2020 and follows a couple (Amanda and Clay) who are on a vacation in a remote cabin in Long Island, New York. Naturally, they are expected to be alone on their vacation, but their expectations are shattered when the family that owns the cabin shows up on their doorstep, hoping to wait out a blackout on the East coast. With T.V., telephones, and the Internet out, should Amanda and Clay trust the couple who claim to own the house? And can the couple trust Amanda and Clay? Regardless, one question looms large: what happened to the world?
Leave the World Behind received mostly positive reviews from critics upon its publication. For instance, Hillary Kelly of The New Yorker called the novel "enthralling." Similarly, NPR called the novel a "signature novel for this blasted year [2020]." But the general public looked much less favorably upon the novel. On Google, only 47% of readers liked the novel. Nevertheless, Alam's novel was an overnight bestseller and stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for a number of weeks.
A film adaptation of the same name is being created for the acclaimed streaming service Netflix. The film, which is being directed by Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail and will star Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke, is set to release in 2022 or 2023.
