Book Nook Cafe discussion

What's this ? It's a Buddy Read. All are welcome to join in.

When? We will be reading the book the whole month of March

Book- Exit West

Author: Mohsin Hamid

Author Bio From Lit Lovers
• Birth—1971
• Where—Lahore, Pakistan
• Education—B.A., Princeton University; J.D., Harvard University
• Awards—Anisfield-Wolf Book Award; Asian American Literary Award
• Currently—lives in Lahore, Pakistan; London, England, UK; New York, NY, USA

Mohsin Hamid is a British Pakistani novelist and writer. His novels are Moth Smoke (2000), The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007), How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia (2013), and Exit West (2017).

Early life and education
Hamid spent part of his childhood in the United States, where he stayed from the age of 3 to 9 while his father, a university professor, was enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Stanford University. He then moved with his family back to Lahore, Pakistan, and attended the Lahore American School.

At the age of 18, Hamid returned to the U.S. to continue his education. He graduated from Princeton University summa cum laude in 1993, having studied under the writers Joyce Carol Oates and Toni Morrison. Hamid wrote the first draft of his first novel for a fiction workshop taught by Morrison. He returned to Pakistan after college to continue working on it.

Hamid then attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1997. Finding corporate law boring, he repaid his student loans by working for several years as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company in New York City. He was allowed to take three months off each year to write, and he used this time to complete his first novel Moth Smoke.

Works
Hamid moved to London in the summer of 2001, initially intending to stay only one year. Although he frequently returned to Pakistan to write, he continued to live in London for eight years, becoming a dual citizen of the United Kingdom in 2006.

Moth Smoke, tells the story of a marijuana-smoking ex-banker in post-nuclear-test Lahore who falls in love with his best friend's wife and becomes a heroin addict. Published in 2000, it quickly became a cult hit in Pakistan and India. It was also a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award given to the best first novel in the US, and was adapted for television in Pakistan and as an operetta in Italy.

His second novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, told the story of a Pakistani man who decides to leave his high-flying life in America after a failed love affair and the terrorist attacks of 9/11. It was published in 2007 and became a million-copy international best seller, reaching No.4 on the New York Times Best Seller list. The novel was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, won several awards including the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and the Asian American Literary Award, and was translated into over 25 languages. The Guardian selected it as one of the books that defined the decade.

Like Moth Smoke, The Reluctant Fundamentalist was formally experimental. The novel used the unusual device of a dramatic monologue in which the Pakistani protagonist continually addresses an American listener who is never heard from directly. (Hamid has said The Fall by Albert Camus served as his model.)

His third novel, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, was excerpted by The New Yorker in their September 24, 2012 issue and by Granta in their Spring 2013 issue. As with his previous books, it bends conventions of both genre and form. Narrated in the second person, it tells the story of the protagonist's ("your") journey from impoverished rural boy to tycoon in an unnamed contemporary city in "rising Asia," and of his pursuit of the nameless "pretty girl" whose path continually crosses but never quite converges with his. Stealing its shape from the self-help books devoured by ambitious youths all over "rising Asia," the novel is playful but also quite profound in its portrayal of the thirst for ambition and love in a time of shattering economic and social upheaval. In her New York Times review of the novel, Michiko Kakutani called it "deeply moving," writing that How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia "reaffirms [Hamid's] place as one of his generation's most inventive and gifted writers."

Hamid's 2017 novel, Exit West, is about a young couple, Nadia and Saeed, and their relationship in a time where the world is taken by storm by migrants.

Hamid has also written on politics, art, literature, travel, and other topics, most recently on Pakistan's internal division and extremism in an op-ed for the New York Times. His journalism, essays, and stories have appeared in Time, The Guardian, Dawn, New York Times, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Paris Review, and other publications. In 2013 he was named one of the world's 100 Leading Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine.

Personal life
Hamid moved to Lahore in 2009 with his wife Zahra and their daughter Dina. He now divides his time between Pakistan and abroad, living between Lahore, New York, London, and Mediterranean countries including Italy and Greece. Hamid has described himself as a "mongrel" and has said of his own writing that "a novel can often be a divided man’s conversation with himself." (Adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 3/17/2017.)

Where? The entire discussion will take place in this thread.

Spoiler Alert:
If giving away a major plot element, PLEASE write Spoiler and the chapter at the top of your post.

Book details
Exit West
Mohsin Hamid, 2017
Penguin Publishing
240 pp.ref
ISBN-13: 9780735212176

Synopsis:
Summary
Shortlisted, 2017 Man Booker Prize

An astonishingly visionary love story that imagines the forces that drive ordinary people from their homes into the uncertain embrace of new lands.

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 remarkable 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. (From the publisher.)

Discussion Questions -- By Lit Lovers


1. In what way does war distort everyday life for those who live in its midst? How does Mohsin Hamid convey the fear of truck bombs and snipers, armed checkpoints and surveillance drones? What effect does it have on the people who live through it? Have you ever lived in a war zone?

2. Describe Nadia and Saeed, their outward personalities and inner thoughts. Nadia is more driven, perhaps, while Saeed is more introspective. What attracts them to one another?

3. After the two leave home, they end up in a makeshift refugee camp. Talk about what that was like?

4. In the couple's attempts to immigrate to other countries and other continents, Hamid writes, "It was said in those days that the passage was both like dying and like being born." What do you think he means?

5. Why do you think the author uses the device of a magical door, almost as if purposely recalling C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? In what way is crossing territories, always under threat of thirst, punishing heat and sun, or frigid nights, comparable to stepping through a magic door?

6. Saeed continues to pray. What is he praying for? What does he believe prayer is about?

7. How does the hardship of exile change Saeed? How does it change Nadia, who seems more adaptable? Most of all, how does it test—and ultimately change—their relationship?

8. The primary story of Nadia and Saeed is interrupted with stories of threats and travails in other corners of the world. For what purpose might Hamid have interjected those brief scenarios?

9. How does each new home they settle in receive the couple? How are they made to feel? How well do they blend in to the existing cultures and population?

10. What does one of the book's final declarations mean: "We are all migrants through time."

More Discussion Questions
by readinggroupguides.com

1. “It might seem odd that in cities teetering at the edge of the abyss young people still go to class...but that is the way of things, with cities as with life,” the narrator states at the beginning of EXIT WEST. In what ways do Saeed and Nadia preserve a semblance of a daily routine throughout the novel? Why do you think this --- and pleasures like weed, records, sex, the rare hot shower --- becomes so important to them?

2. “Location, location, location, the realtors say. Geography is destiny, respond the historians.” What do you think the narrator means by this? Does he take a side? What about the novel as a whole?

3. Early in EXIT WEST, Saeed’s family spends a pleasant evening outside with their telescope, until “the sound of automatic gunfire, flat cracks that were not loud and yet carried to them cleanly. They sat a little longer. Then Saeed’s mother suggested they return inside.” How do we see the city changing around Saeed and his family? What effect does the subtle acceleration of violence have on the reader? On the novel itself?

4. What function do the doors serve, physically and emotionally, in the novel? Why do you think Hamid chose to include this speculative, fantastical element in an otherwise very “realistic” world?

5. In an interview with Paste magazine, Hamid says, “It’s strange to say, but I really believe in these doors.... I think the doors exist in our world, just not the physical manifestation that I’ve given them [in the novel].” What do you think he means? Contrast this with the way he writes about technology in EXIT WEST, as in this passage about smart phones: “In their phones were antennas, and these antennas sniffed out an invisible world, as if by magic, a world that was all around them, and also nowhere, transporting them to places distant and near, and to places that had never been and would never be.”

6. When it becomes clear that Nadia and Saeed will need to flee their city, Saeed is most fearful over leaving behind his family, his friends, the only home he’s ever known, while Nadia is most concerned about the possibility of losing her autonomy, of being forced to rely on the uncertain mercy of others, of being “caged in pens like vermin.” Why do you think their respective fears are so radically different? What do these fears say about them as characters, and in relation to each other?

7. The city where Nadia and Saeed live and from which they flee is unnamed, the only unnamed location in the book. Why do you think that is? What effect does this omission have on the reader?

8. “War in Saeed and Nadia’s city revealed itself to be an intimate experience,” the narrator states. In what ways are violence and intimacy linked throughout the novel? How does violence bring Saeed and Nadia together? How do you think their relationship might have evolved if their city had never been under siege?

9. Saeed tells Nadia, “‘The end of the world can be cozy at times.’ She laughed. ‘Yes. Like a cave.’” What purpose does humor serve in a book like this?

10. With regard to her changing neighborhood, the old woman in Palo Alto muses, “When she went out it seemed to her that she too had migrated, that everyone migrates, even if we stay in the same houses our whole lives, because we can’t help it. We are all migrants through time.” What do you think she means?

11. Do you think EXIT WEST is a hopeful book? Why or why not?

Excellent choice Alias...and I can get this in paperback! Just ordered it and should arrive in a week or so :)! Can't wait to start

Francesca M wrote: "Excellent choice Alias...and I can get this in paperback! Just ordered it and should arrive in a week or so :)! Can't wait to start"

I'm Glad you can join us.

The book selection is not by me. I'm following the NY Times /PBS book club. As you probably know the NY Times is a newspaper and PBS is the public TV channel. They have joined together to have a monthly book club. I'm also following a local public radio channel in NYC that also has a monthly book club.

I'm hoping that we can use them to get our monthly group or buddy reads going here again.

Clever idea. I'm now #1 on the waiting list...

I am going to give this book a shot. It's a slender book. I normally don't like magical realism or sci fi, so I am not holding out a lot of hope for this one. :)

Alias Reader wrote: "I am going to give this book a shot. It's a slender book. I normally don't like magical realism or sci fi, so I am not holding out a lot of hope for this one. :)"

I share your point of view Alias, but it should not be too ‘magical’. I'm happy to read it as I heard some really good feedbacks on it...so hopefully we will enjoy it!

I'm going to start it this evening and I'll try to keep an open mind. After all, my goal with book clubs is to stretch my reading horizons.

I am picking up my copy tonight from the library

Cool.

I read the first 4 chapters. (It's a quick read). So far it's interesting. Though I prefer dialogue between the characters instead of the author saying this happened then this happened. Just my preference. I am not up to the magical "doors" portion yet.

I just realized that the author of Exit West is the author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist . A book I have on my TBR list.

Yeah, I prefer dialogue too. I will start tonight before bed. Not sure how far I will get before I decide I am tired.

Alias Reader wrote: " I am not up to the magical "doors" portion yet. ..."

Actually I think it had one in chapter one. The book doesn't really explain it, but I think the guy in the sleeping woman's house in Australia came through one.

I only read one chapter last night.

Julie wrote:

Actually I think it had one in chapter one. The book doesn't really explain it, but I think the guy in the sleeping woman..."

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I must have missed that. Thanks. I didn't get those jumps to other people. I guess you are right and that is what they are about.

I am up to chapter 6 (page 98 ) and there are doors.

Would you say that the book is told in The third-person omniscient style ? Whatever it is, it's not my favorite. I rather know what the characters are doing and feeling by what the characters say in their dialogue, not from a narrator.

Still not in at my library yet! I won't look at comments until i get started...unless i just can't bear it.

I got the book & am already on Chapter 6. There is something endearing about this style of presenting a story, i think you are correct about third-person omniscient, Alias. It is a style used by Kurt Vonnegut back when i was first introduced to his work, so he is on my mind as i read this.

It was only in Chapter 5 that i figured out what was mentioned in Chapter 1 about the woman in Australia. Now i'm wondering if there were other, even less obvious hints at doors. We'll see.

The story is unfolding in a way that one, who has only seen the changes in once lovely cities, can fully appreciate. The distant arms, getting closer. The way Saeed's mother died, as though retrieving a lost earring in a car is still an insignificant thing in the midst of such chaos.

madrano wrote: "I got the book & am already on Chapter 6. There is something endearing about this style of presenting a story, i think you are correct about third-person omniscient, Alias. It is a style used by [a..."

You are with the majority on the writing style. I am not a fan.

The 3rd person narration, for me, creates distance from the characters. The result is I am not really invested in their journey.

Additionally, what the heck is with the run on sentences with 28,283,838 commas that go on for pages. Really? What is the point? To me it seems like the author is basically saying "Wow ! Look at me ! Aren't I talented !" If there is a message he is trying to get across with things like this they are going over my head.

I have about 100 pages to go. Honestly, it's a struggle for me, but I will continue.

Would you believe i didn't even notice run on sentences? LOL! To be fair, as a guilty party with them, this lack of attention to the fact may be a full-on blindness. ;-)

END OF BOOK SPOILER NOTES!
I just had to get online immediately, as i ended up liking the book very much. When you finish, go back and reread the very first sentence. I presumed this conflict was a religious one in a city we've seen in the Middle East in days past. Now i'm thinking the refugees are not locals of the area. Am i alone in this?

Also, in Chapter ELEVEN, the word "apocalypse"" was used, which had me thinking about the Christian Apocalypse, which i hadn't connected with this. For those unfamiliar with the concept, there is a belief that one of the signs will be what they call "Rapture". At that point "good" people will just vanish. Of course the usual interpretation of this is that they will vanish to heaven. This be something the author is hinting...a way to look at these magical doors. Nadia notes, after thinking about how the apocalypse appeared to arrive, that while "the changes were jarring they were not the end, and life went on..." What do we think?

Ok, time to go to bed. I just had to ask these questions so i wouldn't forget i ever had them.

madrano wrote: "Would you believe i didn't even notice run on sentences? LOL! To be fair, as a guilty party with them, this lack of attention to the fact may be a full-on blindness. ;-)

Starts on 109-110 to the top of 111

As to where they initially start on Page 91 I thought the author says it is Dubai.

I didn't get to read today, so I am still on page 141 chapter 8

Do you have a chapter number on those? My e-version doesn't correspond with the page numbers you shared. Thanks.

For the crazy long sentences.
Chapter-6 The paragraph begins with the sentence "As Seeed was coming down from the hill to where Nadia again sat by their tent, a young woman was leaving the contemporary art gallery she worked at in Vienna. Then there is a 2 page sentence.

Chapter 8
paragraph begins with, A thriving trade in electricity was under way in dark, London, run by those who lived in pockets with power, and Saeed and Nadia were able to recharge their phones from time to time, and if they walked..... and on for a full page. It's all "ands" and commas.

Where Saeed and Nadia are from
Chapter 5
The section begins by saying, "As the days passed, and Saeed and Nadia did not hear from the agent again, and increasingly questioned whether they would hear form the agent again, elsewhere other families were on the move. One of these - a mother, father, daughter, son - emerged from the complete blackness of an interior service door.... etc.

The paragraph begins with, After a brief interlude the family was picked up again by a second camera, traversing a hallway and pushing the horizontal bars that secured a heavy set of double fire resistant door and as these doors opened the brightness of Dubai's desert sunlight overwhelm the sensitivity of the image sensor and the four figures seemed to become.... etc.

Since the section began talking about about Saeed and Nadia, who are Muslim and are clearly in that part of the world, I read it that the family appears where they were in Dubai. I guess one could read this as just an aside and it means not where they are. Who knows.

Why the author feels the need to be so opaque is something I don't quite get. I guess he is aiming for a theme of universal experience. Still, I find it more annoying and gimmicky than enlightening.

The very end of Chapter 8 Next to last paragraph

"Or perhaps the sheer number of places where there were now doors had made it useless to fight in any one."

The very start of chapter 9 First paragraph.
"That summer it seemed to Saeed and Nadia that the whole planet was on the move, much of the global south headed to the global north...."

The way he ended chapter 8 and began 9 made me think
of global warming and that is why there is so much war, upheaval, and people leaving their homeland. Everyone fighting over scarce resources, too. I am thinking that is the reason behind this dystopian novel.

“For me, this is not a novel about dystopia; actually it’s about looking for signs of hope and optimism in the future.”

NY Times review.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/07/ar...

I have about 1/4 left, if this isn't a dystopian novel but one of hope and optimism there sure must be some dramatic ending !

I finished the novel this evening. Sorry but this was just not my type of book. I did not like the writing style. I also dislike the story being told in 3rd person with was so little dialogue. The plot, what there was of it, was painfully slow, and perhaps because of the story being told in 3rd person, I never connected with Saeed and Nadia or their plight.

From the reviews on Amazon I am clearly in the minority.
So I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts on the plot, writing and characters.

Deb, what pulled you into the story and made you enjoy it so much?

Alias, thank you for giving me the chapters and even paragraph beginnings. I did not notice the run-on sentences and wonder why. Both are a bit of a riff on one particular theme, randomness contributing to the steam, so that i guess i was too preoccupied with where the paragraph was heading to realize the ideas weren't broken up. The first one, in Chapter 6, particularly. It was almost a venting.

To be fair, however, this is almost exactly how i think. First i start with an idea or observation, then make connections to other things i've noticed or that bother me. Suddenly some small matter has gone global and i'm thinking about how overwhelming (unbeatable, futile, etc) it is.

So, knowing Hamid has an editor, there must be a reason they let it stand as is. Curious. You have me wondering why and if there is more than either of us has resolved. The one in chapter 6 sounds like a riff on war. Or maybe this is to indicate the way this particular woman in Vienna thinks?

The one in Chapter 8 kinda works when coupled with some of the ideas floated in it, such as "two Nadias" in alternate universes, so to speak, and time bending. I've had moments like that, and although i didn't write them down, i suspect i would still punctuate them with periods. I do not think we are going to figure this out without the help of the author.

About where they were. Again, thanks for taking the time to show me. I remember rereading that paragraph twice because i thought the same thing. Why start the paragraph with our couple, then switch to a family of four? I still don't know why he did it but i came to understand that while N & S were elsewhere, the family of 4 ended up in Dubai. As you ask, why do it that way?

Alias Reader wrote: "Deb, what pulled you into the story and made you enjoy it so much? ..."

I mentioned upthread that the beginning of the book reminded me of Kurt Vonnegut, a novelist whose work i devoured in the early 70s. There is a humor to his work which is vaguer here but the way this story began, with fairly simple thoughts, almost like a fairy tale, drew me in. So in one way that is what made me continue.

You mentioned the dystopia aspect of the book, which is also something Vonnegut addressed. I think one could make it dark or light. Still, this seemed much more upbeat and intriguing. Newcomers need not die, nor battles begun, as was slowly happening in some places. So, if dystopian, a solution is achieved.

You make a good point about global warming. And there must be a tipping point, wherein a country cannot handle more people...what then? However, when i read about the "global north and the global south" people moving, i thought about the unique opportunity for people in the cold north to experience the heat of a desert and vice versa. And, you know how i like to travel, so this seemed great to me! Minus the warfare, of course.

Don't get me wrong. One chapter before the doors appear concretely in the book, i was ready to quit. Due to the shortness of the book & the fact we were reading it with others, i knew i would continue. But when someone mentioned those mysterious doors in a post, i was all in! Previous to that, i thought the doors were going to be a myth, something like Prince Charming. The thrill that it wasn't and the possibilities with those doors is what kept me reading & kept me excited.

I'm glad i read it but sorry it just didn't work for you, Alias. I think when a group finds themselves disagreeing it's more illuminating. In explaining our likes or dislikes we explore what we like in books and/or what it is about us that leads us to that conclusion. For me, sci-fi fan that i am, it was a bit easier. But exploring the writing itself has been eye-opening.

madrano wrote: I think when a group finds themselves disagreeing it's more illuminating. In explaining our likes or dislikes we explore what we like in books and/or what it is about us that leads us to that conclusion. "

Absolutely ! I am headed out to the gym but will respond more later. I'll see if any of the discussion questions I posted add to more insight.

I also think there are two more of us here reading the book, so I look forward to their thoughts, too.

Deb the writing style for me was like the author saying, look at me ! Aren't I clever? I can write a single sentence two pages long with a dozen "ands" and 60 commas!

It's like when we read other books where the author (José Saramago I am looking at you!) for no discernible reason eschews punctuation.

I guess that is why I am not a fan of Toni Morrison. I find her books deliberately obtuse. I just don't see the need for it. Again, I am in the minority on her books, too.

Cranky me is off to the gym to blow off steam. :)

Steam away, cranky Alias! I look forward to further discussion. I should be embarrassed to admit that i've not yet a novel by Morrison. *blushing* I can see why you would view this style as an ego ploy. For me, i find myself wondering why an otherwise good writer presents a novel this way. It's a puzzle for me, i guess.

Deb, what did you think of the author injecting various people briefly into the story? I think it added a bit of confusion at first. Then when it happened again, I figured it was to show examples of the doors. Then again, maybe the author wanted to add confusion to make the reader feel like the refugees plight a bit. I don't know.

In particular what did you think about the two men who I guess are gay or just realized the are gay. Then having Nadia, who seemed quite keen to be intimate with Saeed, suddenly with a women.

Was it that she was always bisexual or that she never explored or thought of that before? The side story made me wonder about her always wearing the abaya. She wasn't religious and even when Saeed questioned her wearing it, she continued to do so.

Do you think that she wore it because she didn't want attention from men because she a lesbian ? I question this answer because she did seem keen to be with Saeed.

I found these story lines confusing and wasn't really clear what they added to the story. Was it to have minor plot twists or have a little shock value?

I'm glad that Alias suggested that we read this book. It was a quick read and very timely. I'm guessing that the inspiration for this book was the migration of refugees from Syria and other areas of turmoil. The author lives in Pakistan which is full of unrest from terrorist groups now. It seems like the unnamed Muslim country in the book could be around that area.

The use of the dark doors was a creative way of telling the story. Immigrants were trying to escape from poor countries to rich countries. So places like Dubai, which is loaded with money, had lots of surveillance cameras and drones.

Other places like Amsterdam and Brazil seemed to be very open with immigration, and the two older men could easily visit each other.

You're right that there are some long sentences. But I didn't even notice them as I was reading them! I won't suggest reading Ulysses to you :-)

It's funny that you should mention Toni Morrison because she was one of Mohsin Hamid's mentors at Princeton.

Connie, the author noted in one part that in less wealthy countries the native population had more to lose, so they were more anti- immigrant. In countries with less wealth, they were not as upset over the immigrants as they didn't have expensive things to lose.
(I returned the book to the library as there was a wait list for it, so I can't give exact quotes or page #)

I don't know that I agree totally with this. If things are scarce, I would think you also wouldn't be too thrilled to have others going after the scare resources.

I am not familiar with how other countries are dealing with immigration legal or non. I can't recall which countries took in most of the Syrian refugees recently. So I googled it.

============================================
On the first anniversary of the death of Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi, the Government's approach to refugees is once again in the spotlight.

Other countries have taken varying numbers of people escaping from the conflict. Below is a brief summary of some of the different approaches taken.

Greece

Europe’s main transit destination for refugees, Greece has seen hundreds of thousands of migrants pass through its border – though very few actually apply for asylum in the country, instead continuing onto other countries like Germany.

Turkey

A long land border with northern Syria, relative stability, and a gateway to Europe has made Turkey the biggest host of refugees from the Syrian conflict. Between two and three million displaced Syrians live within its borders, the majority living in camps.

Germany

An estimated 300,000 refugees are in Germany, following’s Angela Merkel’s open-door policy. Protests both in support of refugees and against them have taken place in the country.

Sweden

Sweden has been a major destination for Syrian refugees following a policy of granting all asylum seekers permanent residency, as well as residency for their families. More than 38,000 people applied for asylum in 2015, an increase from previous years.

Canada

Canada met its goal of resettling 25,000 refugees in February this year; it has now accepted upwards of 31,000 – more than the UK had pledged to take by 2020.

France

President Francois Hollande has committed France to taking 30,000 refugees over two years.

Lebanon

Slightly smaller than Yorkshire, tiny Lebanon has hosted a million Syrian refugees, thanks to its proximity to Damascus and other built-up areas in the west of Syria.

Jordan

Syria’s neighbour to its south west has around a million refugees, many living in the local community rather than organised refugee camps.

Iraq

Despite the conflict in Iraq, about a quarter of a million Syrians have fled there. Many, especially enthic Kurds, have gone on to Iraqi Kurdistan, where local security forces have kept the conflict at bay.

Armenia

More than 10,000 ethnic minority Armenian Syrians have fled through Turkey to Armenia, where many have relatives.

Israel

Despite its proximity and high level of economic development, Israel has refused to take any Syrian refugees. “We will not allow Israel to be submerged by a wave of illegal migrants and terrorist activists,” Benjamin Netanyahu has said.

Venezuela

Despite food shortages and an economic crisis President Nicolás Maduro announced that Venezuela will accept 20,000 Syrians.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has reportedly issued residency permits for 100,000 Syrians though it has not formally accepted anyone actually classed as a refugee.

United States

The US state department has said it will accept 10,000 Syrian refugees in 2016. Some state governors, however, have said they will not allow any Syrians to be placed there.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/...



What do you think ?

Here is another article on the Syrian refugees.

The Tragic Numbers Behind Syria's Refugees

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-coun...

Wiki on the Syrian refugees.

Refugees of the Syrian Civil War or Syrian refugees are citizens and permanent residents of Syrian Arab Republic, who have fled from their country since the onset of the Syrian Civil War in 2011 and have sought asylum in other parts of the world.

In 2016, from an estimated pre-war population of 22 million, the United Nations (UN) identified 13.5 million Syrians requiring humanitarian assistance, of which more than 6 million are internally displaced within Syria, and around 5 million are refugees outside of Syria. The vast majority of the latter are hosted by countries neighboring Syria. Among countries of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), a coordination platform including neighboring countries (with the exception of Israel) and Egypt, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) counted 5,165,502 registered refugees, as of August 2017. Turkey is the largest host country of registered refugees with over 3 million Syrian refugees. The UNHCR counted almost 1 million asylum applicants in Europe, as of August 2017.

Humanitarian aid to internally displaced persons (IDPs) within Syria, and Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries, is planning largely through the UNHCR. In 2016, pledges have been made to the UNHCR, by various nations, to permanently resettle 170,000 registered refugees.
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The link gives the numbers for each country. I can't copy paste charts into Goodreads. So you have to read the wiki link.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugee...

Interesting information. It seems like the wealthier countries have more money to give as aid, but also have more money to pay for security and surveillance. But cultural differences might be more important than wealth.

People tend to be more accepting of immigrants from cultures that are similar to them. Speaking the language of the adopted country makes people more employable, and able to fit in socially. Some countries and heads of state are more accepting of other religions. Race can also be a factor with some people. Even if a country takes immigrants in, there can be hate groups within a country that can make their lives miserable and unsafe.

Connie wrote: People tend to be more accepting of immigrants from cultures that are similar to them. Speaking the language of the adopted country makes people more employable, and able to fit in socially.."

Very true, Connie. I thought Saeed seemed to want to join in with the others that spoke his language and were familiar with him. That is why he joined that prayer group. Nadia, seemed to be different and didn't really want to fit in. She went with the group that did accept her because that older woman sided with her.

Of the two, I felt more for Saeed than Nadia. For some reason, I just didn't connect with Nadia. I felt for Saeed and how gentle and kind he seemed to be. How did you feel about the two characters?

I also felt more of a connection with Saeed, and loved the way he treated his family. He seemed to appreciate tradition which showed up with his love of prayer. He treated Nadia with respect and kindness.

Nadia was not close to her family and had an independent streak. She seemed to be looking for adventure, and something new. I wonder if she had some bad experiences with men in the past since she continued to wear the black robes, even in California. I was surprised when she got involved with the cook since Saeed was not her first boyfriend.

Alias Reader wrote: "Deb, what did you think of the author injecting various people briefly into the story? I think it added a bit of confusion at first. Then when it happened again, I figured it was to show examples o..."

Lately so much of the fiction i've been reading seems to switch story lines that the injection of them in this story didn't bother me. It took several of them for me to realize the author was giving us a look at what was happening worldwide and that we would not return to these people. Today in trying to find something we mentioned, i reread the first few. We seem to all recall the first, Australian, introduction. But the next one (or 3rd, not positive), was in Japan with a man who saw two Filipino young women "enter". He follows them with "metal in his pocket."

So, if i'd paid attention i would have understood almost from the beginning some of the negative sides. In this case, his victims were coming to him. And this is the way i view the immigrant problem in the book. Some people allow their better sides to emerge while others want to see how they can take advantage of the turn of events. So human, i suppose.

Looking at the list of nations Alias provided and their acceptance (& not) of refugees from Syria, i think we see the range and problems Hamid addresses (in his way). Imagining the impact a flood of refugees from a war torn area is beyond my scope, despite seeing images on television. Still, when i try to imagine what the US would do if severe war broke out in Mexico, i don't see us behaving generously on our land. And i suspect we would behave differently if it was Canada which was in dire straits.

Do you ever wonder how various countries would react now to a Nazi-like assumption of power? Who would welcome refugees, who would cite lack of resources to refuse them, etc? The way the author explores reactions from wealthy nations--paranoia via cameras, limiting access, guarding some doors but not others--allows us to imagine the same.

Alias Reader wrote: "In particular what did you think about the two men who I guess are gay or just realized the are gay. Then having Nadia, who seemed quite keen to be intimate with Saeed, suddenly with a women. ..."

What i was trying (& failing) to do when looking at earlier chapters in this book (mentioned in my previous post) was about Nadia's sexuality. At least once in the beginning i thought Hamid hinted that she had considered females as partners. But i couldn't find it. However, there was the woman who helped them find the second door. She & Nadia seemed to have a close connection, which may or may not have moved to become sexual in a different time. All this meaning that i wasn't surprised when N hooked up with the cook.

Alias asked about whether the sexuality was a sort of shock value. I wondered if this isn't just a recent trend--to include "fluid" sexuality. In this case i felt that it illustrated how there is a possibility for everything to be reconsidered if people can go wherever they want. What else can we do? Are all rules up for reconsideration? So, in my opinion, it added to the story.

As a story telling method, i liked the story of the two older men who found one another. The reason is because up to that point i was unsure if a door only led to one place or if each time someone entered one particular door they would end up in the same place. It had been hinted at in the Tokyo episode but i wasn't sure.

As to Nadia's clothing, i thought she wore it as a sort of shield. But it was also a statement of some sort that while wearing it she tooled around on her cycle. She may be the sort of person who just likes to be different, testing herself, maybe others. This might also explain her sexuality, it's all a questioning of rules, then discarding those she seems worthless. She adopted the abaya because it suited her needs, disregarding the religious significance.

Both characters appealed to me but i liked Nadia better. She was fairly fearless and willing to experience new things. I found it endearing that she felt attached to S's father from the beginning. While they both appear to be willing to experiment, Saeed was less secure. Or, at least, this is how i interpreted his attachment in England to other Muslims. To be fair, though, she had charted new territory long before they met, so this could explain her actions vs. his.

I finished the book today. I am not sure how to rate it yet...I need to think about it. I wasn't very impressed but I didn't dislike it either.

Alias Reader wrote: "Additionally, what the heck is with the run on sentences with 28,283,838 commas that go on for pages. Really? ..."

Did you count them? :-)
To tell you the truth, I didn't notice them either.

madrano wrote: "When you finish, go back and reread the very first sentence. I presumed this conflict was a religious one in a city we've seen in the Middle East in days past. Now i'm thinking the refugees are not locals of the area. Am i alone in this?..."

I'm not sure. I took that sentence to mean that when they met it was while their area was still peaceful but others weren't and refugees where around....not that they WERE refugees. Their whole families were there, including Saeed's father's cousins and whoever else they talked about. Would they all still be close together living in nice enough places if they were refugees? If they all fled once, while would only Saeed and Nadia want to flee again?

Alias Reader wrote: "As to where they initially start on Page 91 I thought the author says it is Dubai. ..."

I think Dubai was where one of the doorways led. The book was clearly and noticibly NOT mentioning where Nadia and Saeed were from. Every other place was mentioned though.

madrano wrote: Do you ever wonder how various countries would react now to a Nazi-like assumption of power? ..."

Today with nuclear weapons, who knows. I try not to think about things like that so I can sleep at night.

I'm currently reading the excellent book, Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit----Chris Matthews

The section I just read was about Joseph Kennedy, who was US ambassador in Britain, and the Munich Agreement. He was in favor of appeasement. So it seems it is critical who happens to be in power during pivotal times.

When I've read books on FDR, Churchill and in this case Kennedy, it seems that history could easily have gone another way if these great men where not in power. It's almost like destiny or incredible fortunate luck to have men like FDR and Churchill leading the country and using the power of the bully pulpit during that very dark period.

Alias Reader wrote: "Since the section began talking about about Saeed and Nadia, who are Muslim and are clearly in that part of the world, I read it that the family appears where they were in Dubai...."

Actually most of the asides started by saying something like "while so-and-so was doing such-and-such, a man was...." I don't think Dubai had anything to do with Nadia and Saeed.
I don't know what the point of all little side stories was. They didn't add much to the book because they were so short. Maybe just added the idea that refugees were everywhere...

madrano wrote: "In this case i felt that it illustrated how there is a possibility for everything to be reconsidered if people can go wherever they want. What else can we do? Are all rules up for reconsideration? So, in my opinion, it added to the story.

Interesting. I hadn't considered that. I like your explanation.

madrano wrote: madrano wrote: Do you ever wonder how various countries would react now to a Nazi-like assumption of power? ...".."

Your question brought to mind the movie Voyage of the Damned.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyage_...

Also in 1980 the Cuban flotilla.

Now Syria. There are probably a lot more that I am not recalling at the moment. Sadly, I don't think attitudes have changed much.

Add in global warming and scarce resources to the mix that is our future, it looks bleak for all.