Leaving the World A Novel
Leaving the World by Douglas Kennedy, published by Atria Books on June 15, 2010, is a novel that explores the complexities of life through the journey of Jane Howard. On her thirteenth birthday, Jane vows never to marry or have children, but as she matures into a professor in Boston, her life takes unexpected turns. When she becomes pregnant and faces a devastating event, she is compelled to escape her familiar world, leading to a profound exploration of chance and personal redemption.
In this narrative, readers will find a deep examination of family life and psychological struggles as Jane grapples with her choices and the randomness of existence. The story unfolds as she becomes embroiled in the mysterious disappearance of a young girl, prompting her to confront her own vulnerabilities and the truths she has hidden. Leaving the World presents a rich tapestry of experiences that reflect the arbitrary nature of destiny and the myriad paths one can take throughout life, making it a thought-provoking read for those interested in literary fiction.
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#1 International Bestseller
“In this surging epic, a veritable decathlon of the spirit, Kennedy incisively dramatizes the enigma of chance, petty cruelty, and catastrophic evil, ‘unalloyed grief,’ and the tensile strength concealed beneath our obvious vulnerability.” —Booklist (starred review)
On the night of her thirteenth birthday, Jane Howard made a vow to her warring parents: she would never get married, and she would never have children.
But life, as Jane comes to discover, is a profoundly random business. Many years and many lives later, she is a professor in Boston, in love with a brilliant, erratic man named Theo. And then Jane becomes pregnant. Motherhood turns out to be a great welcome surprise—but when a devastating turn of events tears her existence apart she has no choice but to flee all she knows and leave the world.
Just when she has renounced life itself, the disappearance of a young girl pulls her back from the edge and into an obsessive search for some sort of personal redemption. Convinced that she knows more about the case than the police do, she is forced to make a decision—stay hidden or bring to light a shattering truth.
Leaving the World is a riveting portrait of a brilliant woman that reflects the way we live now, of the many routes we follow in the course of a single life, and of the arbitrary nature of destiny. A critically acclaimed international bestseller, it is also a compulsive read and one that speaks volumes about the dilemmas we face in trying to navigate our way through all that fate throws in our path.
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