Reviews

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

daumari's review against another edition

5.0

I should be sleeping, so placeholder review for now. Magical yet grounded in the world of near-today.

szirbel's review against another edition

3.0

This was a very quick read. I found the material very timely. The idea that we're all immigrants and that country borders are very fluid is very timely based on the political climate currently. I found the magic realism with the idea of going through "doors" an interesting twist. However, I did find myself getting bored with the characters and their choices at the end so I only gave it 3 stars.

anthea_christie's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

helenadotcom's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

leahnott's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

bhnmt61's review against another edition

3.0

This book wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I knew something about a young couple in love escaping from their war torn home country through magical doorways— it sounded like a quest/adventure and for some reason I thought time travel would be involved.

But actually, other than the doorways, Exit West is set in a detailed, realistic world easily recognized as our own. At first, it really worked and for about the first half I loved it. Saeed and Nadia are well-drawn and believable, and their escape through the unexplained doorway is compelling. But by the end the premise had worn thin, and the ornate writing style with its long, piled up sentences went from evocative to annoying. I loved the mind bending insights into economic inequality and migrations of people, but in the end I was disappointed. Still, worth reading, and it’s fairly short so doesn’t require a big commitment of time.

jessapplecrisp's review against another edition

3.75

At times beautiful, boring and profound. I especially loved all the mini scenes that took place around the main narrative. 

tombennett72's review against another edition

4.0

Oof. Gripping, intense, clever, and spare.



Not entirely sure how I feel about it, but I think that’s the point. Dystopia done well.

lawbooks600's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Representation: Black and Asian characters
Score: Five out of ten.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid is like a novel wrapped in incoherent and incorrect English where the first half is incredible but the second is a letdown. I remember reading a blurb saying Exit West meets An American Marriage, so after an entire year and a few months, I read Exit West, ignoring the low ratings, but it was underwhelming.

It starts with Saeed and Nadia living in an unnamed city in an unnamed country in a civil war that grows closer the more pages I read. Saeed and Nadia (who are already in a romantic relationship) have to flee, beginning the second half of the narrative, but Exit West is no ordinary refugee story. Do they cross countries or get on a boat? No, rather they discover a magical black door that can take them to any country in the world, so they enter it and land in Greece.

However, they discover another door so they can travel to America, London in the UK, and finally, Marrakech in Morocco. Sounds tedious? It is. If the only problem in Exit West are those doors, then I would be done with this review, but I'm not done. These doors represent an effortless way out, which misrepresents refugee experiences. In reality, some survive but have to face challenges. Some die, and no refugee has the privilege of teleporting out of their country. The characters are difficult to relate with, but adding depth could improve the reading experience. 

The most frustrating aspect are the run-on sentences. Hamid, have you heard of splitting sentences? That could help. One sentence lasted for one page and a few lines, so imagine reading that. This creation attempts a heartwarming conclusion with Saeed and Nadia in Marrakech together, but I didn't think they had chemistry. Exit West is another disappointing piece of literary fiction, so my search for an enjoyable one continues.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Xenophobia, War, Grief, Drug use, and Racism

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

Full trigger warnings: Military violence and war themes, physical assault and injury, fire, death of people in an explosion, refugee experiences, displacement, drug use, racism, white supremacy, xenophobia, blood, grief and loss depiction

misfate's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5