Reviews

Not quite sci-fi, not quite a romance, not quite a book about living during wartime but a near perfect blend of those and more. Exit West is a relatively short novel (just over 200 pages) and is a pretty quick and easy read. The prose just flows without pretension or distractions. The main characters are Saeed and Nadia who live in an unnamed Muslim nation that is being overrun by militants. They start dating and as life gets more and more dangerous, Nadia and Saeed decide to go through one of the mysterious black doors/portals that show up in the city. These doors transport people to another part of the world. Those other parts of the world end up being flooded with refugees from various war-torn regions.

This book reminded me of Colson Whitehead's Underground Railroad in that it is magical realism about people escaping a bad circumstance by being transported to another location in some fantastical way. I thoroughly enjoyed both of these books.

thepetitepunk's review against another edition

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3.0

This one is hard to review. On one hand, the writing is gorgeous. If you can stomach stories of war, of horror, of loss, this is a gritty yet hopeful approach. I also loved the characters, especially Nadia. Her personality is so distinct and admirable. However, my main problem was the third person point of view; I felt like it distanced the reader from the characters. It was as if the author was simply telling a story, rather than trying to immerse the audience within the story. Pretty, but a little distant. I’d still recommend this one though if you’re looking for a short read!

✧ ✧ ✧

≪reading 31 books for 31 days of january≫
╰┈➤ 1. all that's left in the world by erik j. brown
╰┈➤ 2. the female of the species by mindy mcginnis
╰┈➤ 3. the battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 4. exit west by mohsin hamid

indial0dge's review against another edition

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3.0

Beautiful, encapsulating language and form, with a freeness of speech that flows impeccably. This peculiar, yet engaging, syntax mirrors the mobility of migrants and connections formed with different locations and cultures. However, this did not reach 4 stars as I found the overall plot rather dull. Although the characters did move from one location to another, I feel as though Hamid could've explored this in more depth; the novel not moving as sufficiently as the characters did. Perhaps upon venturing to more places and exploring both sides of these places, this novel could've been more enjoyable.

dreaminthepages's review

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4.0

This was like something out of an episode of the Netflix show Black Mirror but following a light love story unfold as well. Very unique concept and it felt like a very human story.

The writing was somewhat weird but at the same time there were some lovely sentences.

meghangragg's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

amandahajj's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

I found the premise captivating and enjoyed the magical realism, however on the nose it was. The writing was unique. Sentences ran long, almost as a way to capture the constant movement in the story and dance between two very human characters. A great read that made me think more critically about human relationships impacted by war and migration.

lillycano's review against another edition

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3.0

This was a quick read. I didn't 100 absolutely love it, but I liked it enough.

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