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wordsareworlds's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Exit West was a thought-provoking read that I enjoyed immensely. Hamid wielded tension and emotions so well, and while the pace is slow it felt perfectly matched to the story and character development. The alternate, intersecting paths of religion and traditional beliefs and independent exploration were both handled with respect and nuance that I appreciated. The parallels to current real-world events and attitudes are impossible to ignore, but Hamid has told a story that ends in hope more than sadness.
I also found the layers of storytelling Hamid used very interesting. There is Saeed and Nadia's relationship, and one step out we get to know a bit about people who intersect their lives and often how those people die or another detail from their future, and then also more about the war that has now most definitely come to their city, and then snippets of separate, apparently unrelated events around the world. There is a surreal quality to Hamid's descriptions. They simultaneously feel a step removed and immediate. All of this is related as past events, and without much explicit or long description of the characters' feelings, but the events and their actions make those feelings abundantly clear and impactful. I spent a lot of time thinking about why Hamid chose to give us glimpses into specific moments in Saeed and Nadia's lives, and which side characters he chose to give us more details about. Each choice felt very deliberate and like it built on what was going on around them in a complex and nuanced way.
The book overall was very interesting, and the ways that the doors changed some things about immigration and otherness and not others were layered and complex. I enjoyed Saeed, Nadia, and the evolution of their relationship. Also very, very happy about having a bi South Asian MC whose sexuality wasn't a source of angst or persecution. The book has a sense of ebb and flow about it, and that neither happiness nor sadness is all-encompassing or static, and the doors don't change that but make both more accessible and immediate to people's lives.
I also found the layers of storytelling Hamid used very interesting. There is Saeed and Nadia's relationship, and one step out we get to know a bit about people who intersect their lives and often how those people die or another detail from their future, and then also more about the war that has now most definitely come to their city, and then snippets of separate, apparently unrelated events around the world. There is a surreal quality to Hamid's descriptions. They simultaneously feel a step removed and immediate. All of this is related as past events, and without much explicit or long description of the characters' feelings, but the events and their actions make those feelings abundantly clear and impactful. I spent a lot of time thinking about why Hamid chose to give us glimpses into specific moments in Saeed and Nadia's lives, and which side characters he chose to give us more details about. Each choice felt very deliberate and like it built on what was going on around them in a complex and nuanced way.
The book overall was very interesting, and the ways that the doors changed some things about immigration and otherness and not others were layered and complex. I enjoyed Saeed, Nadia, and the evolution of their relationship. Also very, very happy about having a bi South Asian MC whose sexuality wasn't a source of angst or persecution. The book has a sense of ebb and flow about it, and that neither happiness nor sadness is all-encompassing or static, and the doors don't change that but make both more accessible and immediate to people's lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Racism and War
moonytoast's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
“we are all migrants through time.”
maybe would’ve rated this higher if there weren’t sentences verging on seven or more lines long…. if it would necessitate a block quote, it shouldn’t be a single sentence! trust me, this is coming from a resident long sentence girlie who constantly got feedback about how long my sentences were in my essays for high school.
all in all though, this was a nice read and an interesting examination of how magical realism could impact our world’s sociopolitical climate and policies (i.e. nativism and immigration politics).
maybe would’ve rated this higher if there weren’t sentences verging on seven or more lines long…. if it would necessitate a block quote, it shouldn’t be a single sentence! trust me, this is coming from a resident long sentence girlie who constantly got feedback about how long my sentences were in my essays for high school.
all in all though, this was a nice read and an interesting examination of how magical realism could impact our world’s sociopolitical climate and policies (i.e. nativism and immigration politics).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, War, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Xenophobia, Drug use, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, and Misogyny
Minor: Child death, Police brutality, and Fire/Fire injury
emmaowens's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Xenophobia, Drug use, Grief, Police brutality, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
lynneliu's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: War, Drug use, Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual harassment and Racism
arisgreatadventure's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Overall I enjoyed this book. It's not one I would have picked up without having been assigned to read it, but I'm glad I did all the same. I really appreciated its exploration of how relationships, particularly romantic ones, change in times of great stress, pressure, and conflict. At what point you're staying together because its all you know instead of because there is any remaining affection there. I think that is something readers may be able to connect to even if they have never experienced anything like what Nadia and Saeed did. I didn't expect that they would split in the end, especially from the reviews I read which described it as a beautiful romance, but the honesty and realism of that made me like the book more than I would have otherwise.
Where this book didn't hit it home as much for me were the magical realism aspects. I was so intrigued by the concept of the doors, and there was a lot that was explored in the short stories about living in a world with these doors that I really appreciated. However, it being the only element of magical realism while also being such a stark influence on the whole world of the book made me long for more of an explanation that we never got. That may just be my preference. I also struggled to connect to Saeed and Nadia at times. They are both morally gray characters, which I think serves the story and message well, but sometimes I felt like there was no reason why I should care what happened to them.
All the same, it is a well written story that touches on some interesting topics, and if you find the concept compelling it is only a little over 200 pages, so I would recommend giving it a go.
Where this book didn't hit it home as much for me were the magical realism aspects. I was so intrigued by the concept of the doors, and there was a lot that was explored in the short stories about living in a world with these doors that I really appreciated. However, it being the only element of magical realism while also being such a stark influence on the whole world of the book made me long for more of an explanation that we never got. That may just be my preference. I also struggled to connect to Saeed and Nadia at times. They are both morally gray characters, which I think serves the story and message well, but sometimes I felt like there was no reason why I should care what happened to them.
All the same, it is a well written story that touches on some interesting topics, and if you find the concept compelling it is only a little over 200 pages, so I would recommend giving it a go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Grief, and War
hannahr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, and Violence
elinthenilsson's review against another edition
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Xenophobia
jenniferthinks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-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? Yes
4.5
I recommend the audiobook if you’re looking for a smooth, poetic telling of a parable on migration and immigration, of an intimacy over time, of a relationship weaving its way through life.
I saw the mixed reviews, and I’m one for whom the writing resonated so deeply. I loved the feeling that I was being told a story by generations in the future, by someone who knows how it all unfolds, but gently brings us there with him. And the confidence in which each character is written and acts is admirable.
One aspect that I really appreciate about the story is how Nadya’s veil is treated as a personal choice, and how she wears it as a form of resistance. I appreciate that the veil is nuanced, and personal, and not looked at through the eyes of a euro-centric perspective.
I saw the mixed reviews, and I’m one for whom the writing resonated so deeply. I loved the feeling that I was being told a story by generations in the future, by someone who knows how it all unfolds, but gently brings us there with him. And the confidence in which each character is written and acts is admirable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Death of parent, Death, Drug use, Grief, and Gun violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, and Xenophobia
quirkychaos's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Drug use, Grief, Hate crime, and Sexual violence
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