This is not your typical thriller. It's not fast moving or plot driven. In fact, not much happens at all. What it is, though, is a highly atmospheric, tense and unnerving book.

The story follows Amanda, Clay and their two kids (a white family) on holiday to Long Island. They hire a house, start to settle into the remoteness, then are startled in the middle of the night by a knock at the door.  It's the owners of the house (a rich, black couple) claiming there's been a citywide blackout in New York.

This is where things start to get creepy. 

None of the characters are able to pinpoint exactly what's going on, but there's a definite sense of doom. We don't really know what's happening either but we see how all the characters feel and deal with the unexpected crisis. Rumaan Alam focuses on the tiny, mundane ways that they deal with their situation. Only dropping the smallest of hints as to what's happening on a bigger scale.

Unlike most thrillers, the 'what' of what's happening isn't the important part of the book. Instead, it's the 'how'. The book presents a fascinating look at social niceties, how people interact with each other in troubling circumstances, and how age, race and class impact on the way people connect with each other.

It also shines a light on the way we've become so dependent on technology. We're so used to having the answer to any and every question right at our fingertips. How do we know if flamingoes are migratory birds without Google? How do we know if there's an impending disaster if we can't view it on a live news stream? 

Leave The World Behind is weird and mundane. It's tense and creepy. I like character driven novels and books that break genre stereotypes, so I really enjoyed it.

If you like typical, fast paced, plot driven thrillers you might not like this one. But if you like atmospheric books that keep you up late reading, then you should give this one a try.