AV Club: 5 new books to read in October

Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam (October 6, Ecco) –

Picked up in July for a Netflix adaptation by Sam Esmail and starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington, Rumaan Alam’s third novel is one of the most anticipated books of the fall season. Leave The World Behind follows Amanda and Clay, a white couple from New York City, and their two teenage children as they head out for a stay in a rental house on Long Island. Their vacation is interrupted late one night by Ruth and G.H., the Black couple that owns the house, saying that a blackout has swept the entire city. With no cell service or internet to confirm the story, it’s hard for Amanda and Clay to tell what’s what. The scenario makes for a suspenseful tale of race, class, and family ties during a time of crisis.