Leave the World Behind Summary

A high-quality summary of Rumaan Alam´s book Leave the World Behind including chapter details and analysis of the main themes of the original book.

About the original Leave the World Behind book:

Clay, Amanda, and their teenage children Rose and Archie are on vacation when Leave the World Behind begins. The family is going from New York to a well-appointed property on Long Island that they have rented for the week, and they are looking forward to getting away. Amanda and the kids stare at their phones while Clay drives, knowing that their connections will become poor or non-existent once they arrive at the house.

The family relaxes by the pool and settles in for the first night and day, enjoying one other’s company. Amanda, on the other hand, is troubled by the idea that someone is watching her, and on their second night together, after the kids have gone to bed, Amanda and Clay are startled by a knock at the door. The elderly Black couple that owns the rental house, G. H. and Ruth, are at the door. G. H. and Ruth have driven in from the Bronx, visibly terrified, after experiencing a city-wide blackout and knew they wouldn’t be able to return.

Leave the World Behind Summary is written by Condensed Books.