Exit West
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- Create Date：2021-10-20 09:54:10
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Mohsin Hamid
- ISBN：0735212201
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Summary
In a country teetering on the brink of civil war， two young people meet—sensual， fiercely independent Nadia and gentle， restrained Saeed。 They embark on a furtive love affair and are soon cloistered in a premature intimacy by the unrest roiling their city。 When it explodes， turning familiar streets into a patchwork of checkpoints and bomb blasts， they begin to hear whispers about doors—doors that can whisk people far away， if perilously and for a price。 As the violence escalates， Nadia and Saeed decide that they no longer have a choice。 Leaving their homeland and their old lives behind， they find a door and step through。
Exit West follows these characters as they emerge into an alien and uncertain future， struggling to hold on to each other， to their past， to the very sense of who they are。 Profoundly intimate and powerfully inventive， it tells an unforgettable story of love， loyalty， and courage that is both completely of our time and for all time。
Exit West follows these characters as they emerge into an alien and uncertain future， struggling to hold on to each other， to their past， to the very sense of who they are。 Profoundly intimate and powerfully inventive， it tells an unforgettable story of love， loyalty， and courage that is both completely of our time and for all time。
Reviews
Olivia
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3。5
Jessica Hughes
，
4 stars- the author managed to pack a big， moving story in a small package。
Medini
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3。5READ FOR POPSUGAR 2021 READING CHALLENGE: Read a book by a Muslim author。
Katie
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The concept of this book is so， so cool。 What happens to the world （and to individuals） when borders effectively disappear？ I loved the second half of this book， enjoyed the first half， found the narration style a little more dry than I usually prefer。 Ready for the door to appear！
Emily Brusseau
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I really appreciated the fact that I was tricked into reading a fantasy book by this author。 It starts out like a historical/literary fiction that took a turn。 The ending left me wanting more but you do feel quite invested in the lives of the two main characters which keeps you enveloped in the book while reading。
Joy
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If taken at face value， Exit West is a portal fantasy akin to Every Heart A Doorway or Ten Thousand Doors of January。 However， the story revolves around a couple Nadia and Saeed fleeing violence and civil war between militants and government forces in their unnamed home country which could be any number of countries - Sri Lanka， Bangladesh， Pakistan， Syria， Lebanon etc。 Nadia wears a chador to protect herself but underneath she is a badass riding a motorcycle and smoking hash， having trysts。 （Ac If taken at face value， Exit West is a portal fantasy akin to Every Heart A Doorway or Ten Thousand Doors of January。 However， the story revolves around a couple Nadia and Saeed fleeing violence and civil war between militants and government forces in their unnamed home country which could be any number of countries - Sri Lanka， Bangladesh， Pakistan， Syria， Lebanon etc。 Nadia wears a chador to protect herself but underneath she is a badass riding a motorcycle and smoking hash， having trysts。 （Actually， I'm not sure if it's a chador or niqab or burqa that Nadia wears， it's left deliberately vague in description）。 I’m always pleasantly surprised by Mohsin Hamid's female characters; by Mumtaz in Moth Smoke who defies the role of a nurturing mother and straight up detests motherhood and its constraints and by Nadia here who is the more sexually adventurous of the two and an all around courageous independent woman - no small task in a religious conservative country。So this is a refugee story and while I enjoyed the stylistic elements and Hamid's storytelling， I couldn't help thinking I'd be better off reading a non-fiction refugee story written by a refugee， such as Those We Throw Away Are Diamonds: A Refugee's Search for Home by Mondiant Dogon。 Or by a writer once a refugee themselves like Dina Nayeri。 This article written by a female Afghan refugee about seeking refuge in Britain as a child， for example， affected me greatly。I don't think there's anyone with a neutral view about the migrant crisis， regardless of whether one lives in a host country or the one in turmoil。 Mohsin Hamid's sympathy and compassion for his refugee characters as well as the pressing need to accord them dignity and humanity shines throughout。 It is interesting that he has chosen to name the intake countries - Greece， Britain， US while keeping the Islamic country in chaos unnamed。 People in reviews （likely British） have taken umbrage at the way nativist Britons were portrayed and their reaction to the migrant intruders appearing through doors and squatting on private property。 Wasn't Brexit the result of xenophobia？ The new nationality and borders bill from Priti Patel's office would penalize and criminalize asylum seekers arriving via an illegal route such as channel crossings in boats and no doubt， teleportation doors if they existed。 Moreover， a clause in this bill absolves UK Border Force agents from any legal prosecution should their pushback missions result in refugee deaths。 Greece is already engaging in pushbacks and Turkey is following suit。 Bangladesh has transferred and is still transferring Rohinga refugees onto a prison-like camp on flooding prone Bashan Char Island。 The list is endless。 So is Mohsin Hamid prescient as one of the blurbs suggest （this blurb specifically pertains to American reaction to refugees but really can be applied more widely）？ We are all migrants through time What Exit West illustrates well are the more prosaic quotidian elements of being a refugee: the interminable waits and boredom while stuck in limbo， the value and paramount importance of simple 'luxuries' such as a hot shower in restoring a person's self even for a while （Nadia's scene in this was so powerful）， the grating friction and changes in a relationship after having undergone this grueling dehumanizing process together， the tendency to create tribes and cling onto familiar fallbacks （in Saeed's case， prayer and congregating with fellow countrymen）。 This last one was particularly interesting to me; Nadia couldn't divest herself fast enough from the constricting patriarchal religious strictures which had governed her life in the old country whereas Saeed having suffered no such restrictions there hankered after the same teachings and regulations at the new place。 。。。more
Yasmine Dero
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Niet wat ik ervan verwacht had。 Het element van de magische deuren was er wel maar voor de rest was er weinig magisch in het verhaal。 Zelfs het element van de magische deuren had beter uitgewerkt kunnen worden。Het element van de oorlog， en wat het is om als vluchteling te leven was wel goed omschreven。 Zo goed dat ik het boek voortijdig gestopt ben omdat ik er levendige nachtmerries aan overhield。 Ben je op zoek naar een hartverscheurend boek dat je laat inleven in hoe vluchtelingen zich voelen， Niet wat ik ervan verwacht had。 Het element van de magische deuren was er wel maar voor de rest was er weinig magisch in het verhaal。 Zelfs het element van de magische deuren had beter uitgewerkt kunnen worden。Het element van de oorlog， en wat het is om als vluchteling te leven was wel goed omschreven。 Zo goed dat ik het boek voortijdig gestopt ben omdat ik er levendige nachtmerries aan overhield。 Ben je op zoek naar een hartverscheurend boek dat je laat inleven in hoe vluchtelingen zich voelen， dan is dit een aanrader。 Voor het magisch-realistische element moet je het echter niet doen。 。。。more
Travis Lybbert
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This was a puzzling novel with an interesting but somewhat disjointed feel to it。 Dystopian and somewhat disconnected from reality， but not totally。 A great way of capturing the experience of being a forced refugee。
Jane Bennington
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A solid 5/5， from a voracious reader who rarely rates books as 5/5。 Amazing， exquisite， astounding。 I cannot wait to read something else by this author。 His craftsmanship with words is so impressive。 I often go between the audible book and the printed page while consuming a book。 I especially like to listen when a story contains names and places with which I am unfamiliar。 I like knowing that I have the correct pronunciation of words in my mind as I read。 I had to stop listening to this one。 I w A solid 5/5， from a voracious reader who rarely rates books as 5/5。 Amazing， exquisite， astounding。 I cannot wait to read something else by this author。 His craftsmanship with words is so impressive。 I often go between the audible book and the printed page while consuming a book。 I especially like to listen when a story contains names and places with which I am unfamiliar。 I like knowing that I have the correct pronunciation of words in my mind as I read。 I had to stop listening to this one。 I wanted to give every word of it my undivided attention。 At just over 200 pages， not one word is wasted or superfluous in this novel。 Mohsin Hamid reads the audible， so it was hard to turn off， but I wanted to be sure I captured every syllable of every sentence。 The story is specific to places， each beautifully represented。 But each character is equally well spun， and may well have existed in other places and times。 While I have never lived as an immigrant， I imagine that this story is nearly universal for so many people， moving for so many reasons， from the land of their birth to far away places。 This was beautiful writing， a story that captivated me from the very beginning right up until the last word。 。。。more
DiJahne
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I thought this was book had a gentle way of discussing relationships and immigration。 Everything was subtle yet still emotional。 If I hadn’t received this book as part of a book subscription， I probably wouldn’t have read it。 I’m glad I did though。
Fred Rose
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This book is definitely a case where less is more。 Except in the case of sentence length。 Many of the sentences are lovely and take up an entire page。 I've read a lot of fiction and nonfiction books about refugees and immigration。 The writer uses basically magic doors to transport people from one country to another。 In one respect it helps eliminate much of the drama and extra stuff as the travel itself always seems to consume a lot of these stories。 And aren't airplane doors magical anyway。 You This book is definitely a case where less is more。 Except in the case of sentence length。 Many of the sentences are lovely and take up an entire page。 I've read a lot of fiction and nonfiction books about refugees and immigration。 The writer uses basically magic doors to transport people from one country to another。 In one respect it helps eliminate much of the drama and extra stuff as the travel itself always seems to consume a lot of these stories。 And aren't airplane doors magical anyway。 You walk in， sit in a tube， and walk out somewhere completely different。 This mechanism allows the writer to really focus on individuals and the transitions and thinking that occurs from deciding to leave to settling down。 I've worked with a number of refugees and co-teach a course （with a former refugee） where this topic is covered extensively。 This is very good portrayal of that process and how people evolve。 It's not heavy handed and doesn't hit you over the head with it， which I liked。 。。。more
Kathleen
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Originally read it a couple years ago。 Re-read it this year and it equally important in 2021。 Super fascinated with the DOORS metaphor。 How do we open doors （or not） for our world wide refugee population？
Coleman
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Clever look at immigration and the lives of refugees。
Ruby
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Written to be read aloudA story full of the contradictions of humanity where everything changes rapidly and slowly at the same time， where relations fade and shiftLet's you reflect on reality in a way that breathes fantasy Written to be read aloudA story full of the contradictions of humanity where everything changes rapidly and slowly at the same time， where relations fade and shiftLet's you reflect on reality in a way that breathes fantasy 。。。more
Jennifer O’Connor
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It was hard for me to engage with the characters very deeply。 I realize that was not the point of the book， but it made it difficult for me to care much about what happened to them。 Some of the passages were strikingly beautiful， though。 Really lovely writing。
Zach
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Unique writing style and a beautiful story， almost like a modern fairy tale。 “Personalities are not a single immutable color， like white or blue， but rather illuminated screens， and the shades we reflect depend much on what is around us。”“…and so their memories took on potential， which is of course how our greatest nostalgias are born。”“We are all migrants through time。”
Emma Ratshin
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what a beautiful novel。 it’s so rare that you read something both speculative AND optimistic。
Aubree Hull
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The magic doors represent a breaking down of borders and the freedom， hope， and fear that comes with that。 A magic door that can help us all， escape when the monsters arrive For those fleeing impoverished and war-torn countries， the doors represent the hope of a new life。
Kent Adams
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Well written story of love tested by migration。
Radhika
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This book is beautifully written。 I could read each sentence over and over again。 Saeed and Nadia are so real， their feelings for each other so raw。 I've seen a lot of reviews describing the location as "Middle Eastern"， which strikes me as surprising because it's pretty obvious that the book is located in Pakistan， the author's country of origin。 Gorgeous， haunting book。 This book is beautifully written。 I could read each sentence over and over again。 Saeed and Nadia are so real， their feelings for each other so raw。 I've seen a lot of reviews describing the location as "Middle Eastern"， which strikes me as surprising because it's pretty obvious that the book is located in Pakistan， the author's country of origin。 Gorgeous， haunting book。 。。。more
Tanya
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There are some very beautiful lines in here - about what it means to continue on， end a love， stay in love， start over， be human and that makes for some stark but gorgeous prose。On the other hand， the story can't seem to make up its mind about what it wants to be。 Is it the story of migration and change？ Is it the story of the fantastical？ Is it the story of two lovers？ Maybe。。。or maybe not。This is the first book by Hamid I've read and I will read more。 Meanwhile， I will ponder the lessons in th There are some very beautiful lines in here - about what it means to continue on， end a love， stay in love， start over， be human and that makes for some stark but gorgeous prose。On the other hand， the story can't seem to make up its mind about what it wants to be。 Is it the story of migration and change？ Is it the story of the fantastical？ Is it the story of two lovers？ Maybe。。。or maybe not。This is the first book by Hamid I've read and I will read more。 Meanwhile， I will ponder the lessons in this book but not necessarily the story。。。。 。。。more
Stan Hendriks
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It had me through Mykonos。 Accepted the doors， but it lost its power as it crept towards the ending。 Still an enjoyable read。
Libby Fallance
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This book was so beautiful and clever and I couldn't put it down！ Reading it felt so real and raw and I loved every bit of it。 It looked at war and the right to seek asylum with so much humility and clarity。 It cleverly critiqued the nativist obsession with border protection and the inhumane policies which shut out the most vulnerable people from safety and freedom with subtlety and precision through the plot and storyline。 I also loved living through the perspective of young people living throu This book was so beautiful and clever and I couldn't put it down！ Reading it felt so real and raw and I loved every bit of it。 It looked at war and the right to seek asylum with so much humility and clarity。 It cleverly critiqued the nativist obsession with border protection and the inhumane policies which shut out the most vulnerable people from safety and freedom with subtlety and precision through the plot and storyline。 I also loved living through the perspective of young people living through these turbulent events and the beautiful progression of Nadia and Saeed's relationship amongst constant uncertainty and danger。 It was a wonderful read that had me invested and in love with the story from start to finish。 。。。more
Richa
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had to read this book for school and i'm so glad i did！！ really enjoyed it & i feel like i learned a lot from it had to read this book for school and i'm so glad i did！！ really enjoyed it & i feel like i learned a lot from it 。。。more
Amy Heap
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Saeed and Nadia live in an un-named city， and fall in love as it falls to militant rule。 As the world becomes more and more full of unrest， doors begin to appear that take people from their unstable homelands to safer places， and Saeed and Nadia escape to Mykonos， London， and California。 The elements of magical realism， are only elements; it is a story of a relationship， of connection， of how migration， in all its forms， changes places and people， of the tenacity of the human spirit。 The writing Saeed and Nadia live in an un-named city， and fall in love as it falls to militant rule。 As the world becomes more and more full of unrest， doors begin to appear that take people from their unstable homelands to safer places， and Saeed and Nadia escape to Mykonos， London， and California。 The elements of magical realism， are only elements; it is a story of a relationship， of connection， of how migration， in all its forms， changes places and people， of the tenacity of the human spirit。 The writing is beautiful， I often wanted to read it aloud， and while I found that the middle section dragged significantly， there were also moments of real insight and clarity。 。。。more
Bodo
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Disappointing。 The first half of this book blew me away for no reason and the second disappointed me for exactly the same。
Lauryn Smith
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For school
Pep。Kosteyetos
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2，5/5 🌟 Αρκετά ενδιαφέρον το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο， αλλά δεν με κέρδισαν ούτε οι πρωταγωνιστές ούτε η ιστορία τους。 Δεν ένιωσα ποτέ την χημεία μεταξύ τους και για αυτό η ιστορία μου φάνηκε λίγο βαρετή。 Επίσης οι μικρές ιστορίες που παρεμβάλλονται στην κεντρική ενώ ήταν ενδιαφέρουσες （και ίσως μου άρεσαν περισσότερο από αυτή τον πρωταγωνιστών） αισθάνθηκα πως δεν είχαν καμία σημασία στο τέλος。 Μέσω αυτών θα μπορούσε ο συγγραφέας να εξερευνήσει ουσιαστικότερα έναν κόσμο χωρίς σύνορα και να μας δώσει 2，5/5 🌟 Αρκετά ενδιαφέρον το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο， αλλά δεν με κέρδισαν ούτε οι πρωταγωνιστές ούτε η ιστορία τους。 Δεν ένιωσα ποτέ την χημεία μεταξύ τους και για αυτό η ιστορία μου φάνηκε λίγο βαρετή。 Επίσης οι μικρές ιστορίες που παρεμβάλλονται στην κεντρική ενώ ήταν ενδιαφέρουσες （και ίσως μου άρεσαν περισσότερο από αυτή τον πρωταγωνιστών） αισθάνθηκα πως δεν είχαν καμία σημασία στο τέλος。 Μέσω αυτών θα μπορούσε ο συγγραφέας να εξερευνήσει ουσιαστικότερα έναν κόσμο χωρίς σύνορα και να μας δώσει περισσότερες πληροφορίες， που οι δύο ήρωες του βιβλίου δεν μπορούσαν να ξέρουν。 。。。more
Alena
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What an interesting read。 I’ve read MANY stories of migration and displacement， but nothing quite like this that felt so intimate and quiet。 I admit there were a couple of points I was taken by surprise as the writing moved from intensely realistic to periods of suspension of time and physics。 I wouldn’t go so far as to call it magical realism， but more in the vein of Colson Whitehead’s Underground Railroad - I had to just suspend my disbelief a little wider to catch the groove。 At its core this What an interesting read。 I’ve read MANY stories of migration and displacement， but nothing quite like this that felt so intimate and quiet。 I admit there were a couple of points I was taken by surprise as the writing moved from intensely realistic to periods of suspension of time and physics。 I wouldn’t go so far as to call it magical realism， but more in the vein of Colson Whitehead’s Underground Railroad - I had to just suspend my disbelief a little wider to catch the groove。 At its core this is just a story of what it is to be human， to love， to show courage， to evolve。 As the author states so eloquently， “We are all migrants through time。” 。。。more
Erin Reads The World
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Exit West by Mohsin Hamid offers a unique and creative insight into the refugee experience。 Focusing more on the what happens after people arrive in a new， often hostile country， rather than their experience of getting there。The book starts in an unnamed war-torn country， following Saeed and Nadia as they meet and fall in love。 The civil unrest of their country worsens as their relationship deepens， and they begin to plan their escape。 Amongst the fighting， magical doors begin to be found。 These Exit West by Mohsin Hamid offers a unique and creative insight into the refugee experience。 Focusing more on the what happens after people arrive in a new， often hostile country， rather than their experience of getting there。The book starts in an unnamed war-torn country， following Saeed and Nadia as they meet and fall in love。 The civil unrest of their country worsens as their relationship deepens， and they begin to plan their escape。 Amongst the fighting， magical doors begin to be found。 These doors act as portals， taking people through to a completely different place。 Saeed and Nadia take the gamble， stepping through a door that will transport them across the world。 There's no guarantee where they will end up or what they'll find on the other side。Throughout the book they spend time in Mykonos， London and California。 They continue moving， trying to find somewhere safe to make a new life。 As they move locations Hamid gives insight into the different way people view refugees。 Some people feel aggrieved， some uncertain， some hostile and there are a few that are welcoming。Throughout the novel we also witness Saeed and Nadia's changing relationships - both with each other and with their selves。 The challenges Saeed and Nadia face， both in their home country and their new countries， feel so relevant and true to life。Exit West explores themes of belonging， togetherness， community。 And， of course， all of the opposites。There's a lot of mixed reviews for this one （which always makes for a good book club pick） and there are a lot of people who didn't enjoy the magical realism of the doors。 But I think Hamid didn't want to write about the refugee experience of fleeing between countries。 Instead he wanted to write about what happens after， so he used the doors to bypass the journey part。Ultimately I'm undecided on how I feel about Exit West。 It's beautifully written and a book that's easy to get wrapped up in。 It also invites plenty of deeper thoughts and discussions。 But the ending didn't quite work for me and changed my thoughts on the book as a whole。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Exit West
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Exit West&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Exit West&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0