The Fairy Book Club discussion

This is a place for you to discuss the book. Your thoughts, opinions, shocking moments, revealing moments, favourite quotes, etc. Whatever strikes your fancy in a good or a bad way, please let us know about it here.

There may be a few discussion questions thrown in at random as well. So keep your eyes on this topic!


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Has anyone started on this book? I’ve been meaning to read this for a while and so when the Fairy Book Club picked it, I saw an opportunity to smash another one out of my ever growing TBR pile.

I’m only about 40 pages in and I can’t help but notice how easily the story is flowing and how effortless the writing is. It’s has all the makings of a ‘stay up till 4 am’ sorta book.

I just picked up my copy. Finishing with another book, and will start with this one in a day or two.

Probably won't get to this one before the end of the month, but I'll check back for discussion at that point (at the latest) :-)

Ninitha (Niko) wrote: "Has anyone started on this book? I’ve been meaning to read this for a while and so when the Fairy Book Club picked it, I saw an opportunity to smash another one out of my ever growing TBR pile.

I’..."
Oh that is great to know!! Looking forward to it

Exit West...Exit West..Exit West.. **shakes head**. As much as I like you, I have so many problems with you. A lot of it prolly stems from the fact that I read ‘The Bee Keeper of Aleppo’ right before this. Both stories on refugees and migration and hence, a comparison was inevitable I’ll hold my thoughts for now to let more people read it and not sway their options. Still, a question to get the discussions rolling,

Where did you think the book is set? Where it is set, I suppose, influences how we picture Saeed and Nadia.

just started reading this! it flows so easily so far, very easy to read... I am curious how it goes later in the book.

My book arrived today. So excited to start reading. Thank you book fairies

I listened to the audiobook version of this a few months back. Looking forward to seeing what everyone thinks!

Mary wrote: "I listened to the audiobook version of this a few months back. Looking forward to seeing what everyone thinks!"
oooooh what did you think about it? I have just realized there are some super long sentences in there and it is starting to bother me. There is one stretched out over 2 pages!!!! Maybe it is not as noticeable in audiobook?

2 pages??? One sentence?

Oh my...

I'm most likely going to start this some time next week, so then I'll be ready to join a discussion.

Ninitha (Niko) wrote: "Where did you think the book is set? Where it is set, I suppose, influences how we picture Saeed and Nadia."

Ooh! That is interesting - is there no given setting?

Ninitha (Niko) wrote: "Where did you think the book is set? Where it is set, I suppose, influences how we picture Saeed and Nadia."

My first thought on setting was Pakistan but the more I thought on the way Nadia lived her life the more confused I became. Although I must say I'm not well versed on the customs of the country. She is a single woman and seems to live a relatively free life. She makes her own decisions.

What did you think of Nadia and Saeed's relationship? Did the characters feel real to you?

Those long sentences were definitely not as noticeable with the audiobook.

I haven't really noticed anything along those lines yet.

It's a pretty quick read, I find. Though a bit of an odd one. I'm a third through the book now and I have zero notion who any of these characters are. They do things, they think from time to time but it doesn't give me any real sense who these characters are and I find that a little odd.

Some of the information given lets the reader puzzle together a little of who Saeed and Nadia are but it's nowhere near enough - for me - to see them for who they really are.

Mary wrote: "Those long sentences were definitely not as noticeable with the audiobook."

Reading them sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. But I think that may be reader dependent.

There were times I didn't notice it because I just went with the flow of the writing and it sort of work. Sometimes I noticed them and was annoyed by them because I just couldn't get into the rhythm of the extremely long-winded, comma-heavy sentence.

But then, I think that's the writing in general for me with this book.

It BORES me.
To the point where it's taking me ages to read this short book with extremely little writing per page. It took me as long to read this book with ~230 pages with a lot of empty pages and barely anything on them than it took me to read half of a ~660 page book that had very dense writing with an incredible lot of information to take in (world building, setting, characters...).

Eldarwen wrote: "I haven't really noticed anything along those lines yet.

It's a pretty quick read, I find. Though a bit of an odd one. I'm a third through the book now and I have zero notion who any of these cha..." I had it the same way with the characters. They could die at the end in the most horrible way and I wouldn´t even care as I never connected with them.

Michaela wrote: "Eldarwen wrote: "I haven't really noticed anything along those lines yet.

It's a pretty quick read, I find. Though a bit of an odd one. I'm a third through the book now and I have zero notion who..."

Brutal!

Mary wrote: "Those long sentences were definitely not as noticeable with the audiobook."

Ooooooo good tip, there!

Ninitha (Niko) wrote: "Exit West...Exit West..Exit West.. **shakes head**. As much as I like you, I have so many problems with you. A lot of it prolly stems from the fact that I read ‘The Bee Keeper of Aleppo’ right befo..."

Did it get any better for you?

What did everyone think of the little snapshots of characters that seemed to jump into the story and then are gone?
I had a bit of a 'what was that' moment when I was reading them.

I noticed the long sentences... but i wondered if it was because I was looking for them after reading comments 😂
I think they added to the feel of the characters... I liked the book but I didn’t really feel satisfied at the end. I felt a bit deflated.

I agree Vicks. Even though the author revisited the characters 50 years later I still felt I only saw a small snippet of their lives.

Veronica ⭐️ wrote: "I agree Vicks. Even though the author revisited the characters 50 years later I still felt I only saw a small snippet of their lives."

A very small snippet, unfortunately. As Vicks said, the ending left me feeling a little deflated as well.

But now that it's been a while since I finished the book, I'm thinking that getting to know the characters was definitely not what the author wanted for the reader? He gives barely a hint as to what both of them had been doing for the 50 years they hadn't seen each other.

Veronica ⭐️ wrote: "What did everyone think of the little snapshots of characters that seemed to jump into the story and then are gone?
I had a bit of a 'what was that' moment when I was reading them."

They were... odd. The first one had me wondering what was going on. The man coming out of the woman's closet had me momentarily wondering if we were being thrown into a crime novel. But for the rest... ok, it served to underline the magical realism part of the book a little further but other than that?