Play Book Tag discussion

Exit West – Mohsin Hamid
Audiobook narrated by the author.
4.5****

From the book jacket: 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.

My reactions:
What an inventive and interesting way of telling a tale that examines issues of immigration, war, and love. Hamid uses a framework of a political unrest, where outsiders are quickly blamed for all that goes wrong. It’s uncomfortably recognizable and plausible, making this reader squirm more than a little during certain scenes.

The novel also has a mystical / ethereal quality. The movement from place to place without conventional modes of transportation is one aspect of this. But I think the intensity of the relationship between Nadia and Saeed is what really gives the novel’s settings this “other worldly” sense.

The human connection between the central characters is at times palpable. I recognized their dilemma – the inescapable pull of their mutual attraction vs the belief and fielty to religious or social restrictions. And once they’ve taken that step through the first door, who have they but one another? How can they find their way in this strange land? Whom can they trust if not each other? Can they overlook their own differences to join together against the situations they face?

Hamid narrates the audiobook himself. He does a marvelous job, really bringing the characters and situations to life.


LINK to my review

(NOTE: cross-posted to In Memory of Denizen thread)

I love your review.

I loved this book and totally agree about this bit, "The novel also has a mystical / ethereal quality."

The voice of the book entranced me.

I picked this up at my local library book sale.
Looking forward to it, when it moves a little higher up the pile.

I’m glad you enjoyed this. It was a favourite of mine last year.

This is one I took off TBR last week-end as did I Fall cleaning...it is now back on it...great review

Great review! I have had this on my TBR for a while, so I'll need to bump it up in the queue.

Love your review. I have been very curious about this book.

A PBT Favorite!

Joi wrote: "A PBT Favorite!"

With good reason!