Title : Exit West
Author : Mohsin Hamid
Narrator : Mohsin Hamid
Genre : Contemporary/Fantasy
Publisher : Penguin Audio
Listening Length : 4 hours 42 minutes
Rating : 3.5/5
Narrator Rating : 3.5/5
Exit West is about Nadia and Saeed, two people who live in a city which is soon to be overrun by violence and unrest. When they fall in love, and they do, they must come together in a very uncertain time. Nadia is an independent woman who has left her home to live and work by herself, and is now ostracized by her family and community.
When the city becomes too unsafe, the two escape via “doors”which open up to different parts of the world. Now these “doors” are something special, they are described in the book as almost magical – no science or theory behind it. They simply open up and close down. You enter on one side and exit almost instantly into a different city possibly around the world. Doors to desirable places are heavily guarded, while doors to less desirable locations are not.
With the unrest around the world, and new doors popping up everywhere, refugees move from one place to another, trying to moor their adrift lives. Large refugee populations float around the world, setting up temporary shelters and in some cases squatting on property, facing animosity and distrust from the native populations. Nadia and Saeed too go from city to city trying to find firmer roots to settle down, but ultimately this is also a test of their relationship and it affects their bond. They meet people from different countries, religions and cultures, and gravitate towards what they consider known and familiar.
I’m not sure that I actually “got” this book. The author tries to explain the refugee experience, the transitioning to a new land sans family and friends and familiarity. The main characters were intersting in the beginning as Hamid fleshed out their love story, but their story got a little straggly and disjointed with all the movement between cities and their interaction with random characters. I couldn’t identify with either character, and they always seemed at a remove.
I don’t get the hype around this book; it’s an average read at best. I did like Mohsin Hamid’s narration – could have used some emotion and inflection but it is always nice to hear an author give voice to his words..
