Rumaan Alam Stands Behind The Cryptic Ending Of 'Leave The World Behind'
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Rumaan Alam is the mastermind behind the 2020 critically acclaimed novel, Leave the World Behind. The book centers around the Sanford family whose "vacation runs headlong into a moment of global crisis, but they are inside a house in sort of an isolated part of Long Island, unaware of what’s happening in the world,” he explained in an interview with Vanity Fair.
This psychological thriller is Alam's third novel, and was adapted into a movie by Netflix. It hit the streaming service on December 8, 2023, and quickly climbed the list of Top Movies in the U.S. The plot line is capturing the attention of many who love a fictional apocalyptic tale, prompting viewers to ask what exactly happened at the ending of Leave the World Behind?
Leave the World Behind has so many intriguing elements: From creepy deer appearing and shattered illusions, to an unclear ending, the novel is a must-read and the movie is way too good to not view. But who is Rumaan Alam? Below, everything you need to know about the author.
Leave the World Behind: A Novel
amazon.com
$16.56
Who wrote Leave The World Behind?
Rumaan Alam wrote the book Leave the World Behind.
According to The Business Standard, Alam and his Bangladeshi parents immigrated to the Washington, DC in the 70s. He attended Oberlin College, where he studied writing, and moved to New York City post graduation. He still lives there now with his family, per his website.
The author shared some of his various "current enthusiasms" to his website, some of which include:
Oatmeal for breakfast.
Annie Ross, with a particular fondness for "You and Me Baby."
Egrets.
Sharpened pencils.
"Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio!"
Robert Colescott.
Murder, She Wrote, though it's very hard to find it these days, which is a terrible disappointment.
When was the book published?
While parts of Leave the World Behind are eerily reminiscent of the COVID-19 pandemic, Alam actually wrote the book before lockdowns began. It was published on October 6, 2020.
On October 4, 2020 he posted a picture of the book on his Instagram, with the caption "My book is real now."
What else has Rumaan Alam written?
Other than Leave the World Behind, Alam has written a few other novels: That Kind of Mother, Rich and Pretty, and has other short fiction work published to publications like Esquire, Wigleaf, and The Literarian. He's also written about various topics for the New Yorker, the Cut, and the New York Times.
Alam was also the staff critic for a few months at the New Republic, per his website. He wrote about creatives like Imelda Marcos, Alice Adams, and Rupi Kaur, among many others.
He lives in New York with his partner and kids.
Alam lives in New York with his husband, David A. Land, who is a photographer. The couple have two sons, Simon and Xavier, per Vanity Fair.
Alam and Land celebrated their 15th anniversary in September. He posted these sweet pictures of the couple to his Instagram with the caption "Somehow it’s our 15th anniversary? When@_david_land and I got married there was a hurricane with absolutely torrential rain and several people said it was a good omen, mostly I think just be to nice but maybe they were right."
Who wrote the script for the movie?
Sam Esmail wrote the script for the sci-fi film. Per Variety, the adaption makes a few diversions from the original plot of Alam's book, especially with the uncertain ending of the movie. Though, Alam said it does remain "emotionally faithful" to the spirt of the story.
Regarding these deviations, Alam told Variety, "The theatrical experience of watching this movie is so powerful because I’ve had the chance to see audiences respond to the ending three times now, and nobody really knows what to make of it."
He continues, "They’re like, is this funny? Is this scary? Is it really over? And I love that so much."
The author mentions that Esmail doesn't know what will happen to the characters, "But this is open enough that it becomes something that is possessed by its audience. I’m not withholding a definitive answer because I’m not in possession of that."
In fact, when Variety asked him why it's important to not give the audience closure at the end of the film, Alam replied, "Wouldn’t that be so dissatisfying?"
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