The Leaving Room
core novel 2025 The Leaving Room
Record
| First published | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.01 (1,561 ratings, collected 2026-10-30) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9781250908087 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
Gospel is the Keeper of the Leaving Room, a place all young people must pass through when they die. The young are never ready to leave; they need a moment to remember, and a Keeper to help their wispy souls along. In each Leaver’s precious four minutes, Gospel cooks them a meal made of loving memories and keeps their best memory in one of the mason jars that line her shelves. She is supposed to follow the rules: never lie, never enter another Keeper’s room, never look back at the memories she collects. But when a door opens and another Keeper, Melodee, arrives, their souls become entangled, and Gospel begins to wonder whether Keepers can feel, and fall in love, and whether there is more to her existence than keeping.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Leaving Room
- Series: The Leaving Room core; position 1 of 1 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Amber McBride
Awards (verified)
- National Book Award (Young People's Literature), 2025: finalist
- Mythopoeic Award (Young Adult Literature), 2026: finalist
Notes
- From the series record (The Leaving Room): Standalone novel-in-verse.
Sources
- National Book Foundation: The Leaving Room (2025 finalist, Young People's Literature)
- Kirkus Reviews: The Leaving Room
- Publishers Weekly: The Leaving Room
- Mythopoeic Society: 2026 Mythopoeic Awards
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