Within days of its release, Leave the World Behind earned Rumaan Alam a National Book Award nomination. After a heated bidding war, Netflix will take on the story. Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts will star, with Sam Esmail of Mr. Robot producing.
Leave the World Behind is Alam’s third novel. The tale focuses on a middle-class family vacationing at an Airbnb. Soon, a couple appears on the doorstep, claiming to be the owners and informing them of a city-wide blackout. Paranoia builds in the tense situation that follows, as the two couples worry and wonder about what’s going on both in and out of the isolated home.
More about Alam:
Rumaan Alam: Slate Columnist Provides Vital Quarantine Parenting Guidance
