Exit West

Locations
Call Number: Fiction / Hamid, Mohsin, Adult Book / Fiction / General / Hamid, Mohsin
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Pittsfield Branch, Traverwood Branch

"From the internationally bestselling author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, a love story that unfolds in a world being irrevocably transformed by migration. 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, thrust into 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 violence and the threat of violence escalate, 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 is an epic compressed into a slender page-turner--both completely of our time and for all time, Mohsin Hamid's most ambitious and electrifying novel yet"-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Hamid, Master Storyteller submitted by DBJC on June 18, 2017, 8:52pm "We are migrants through time."

Hamid's novel follows the lives of independent Naida, and reserved Saaed as they draw near to each other and pull apart because as a result of time. This novel is beautifully told, storytelling at its finest. Hamid has been praised for his master storytelling and he deserves all the praise! His scenes are not wrapped in unnecessary detail, which allows the reader to focus on the heart of what is real about the story that he his trying to tell. He seats the reader comfortably with his characters, as the story follows this young, migrant couple. He does not linger in spaces, just as time does not stay stagnant, making each scene a seamless transition through the lives of a couple who are victims of time.

The most beautiful thing about this novel is the realization that we are bound by time. Though we may not know what we may encounter on our journey, and sometimes we amy run into the unthinkable, our migration may bring us back to places that we thought we left. How do we approach these steps in our travels?

Beautiful in plain language submitted by lchaimow on July 21, 2018, 7:19pm It is a beautiful story that really puts humanity into perspective. The writing is elegant but in plain words. The short stories in the middle feel a little random, but overall a great story.

Ordinary people in the coming Apocalypse submitted by patricia alvis on September 27, 2018, 9:22pm What a great choice for Washtenaw Reads 2019.
I borrowed the book after reading a a review. It is really a fine, disturbing work. It reminds me of writing of the 30s-40s by Russian writers about the Revolution, and German, Italian and Spanish writers about the Fascist era.
How better to view the scrambling of migrants from the equally destructive campaigns of two or more sides taking turns to wreck homes and livelihoods.
Hamid projects the situation into a future where the world is consumed by it and hope lies in magic.
Thank you, Mr. Hamid.

beautifully written but a little strange submitted by kerstinrh on June 26, 2019, 6:45pm The words of this book were beautifully written telling the story of migrants however there was a strange science fiction aspect of people going through doors and ending up in new locations that was not all that well explained.

Certainly worth reading submitted by annikajoyce on July 13, 2019, 9:18am Speaks to current issues: immigration, refugee crisis, political and religious differences... But don't expect a happy book. It's not overtly traumatic or violent, but it also captures the real struggle of peoples moving from place to place with seemingly nowhere to settle and nowhere to go. It's compelling and interesting and moving, but it wasn't a feel-good book (and it's not supposed to be).