Reviews

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

amcgriff's review against another edition

challenging 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? No

5.0

karenjanee's review

adventurous dark tense 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

giugiu25's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad

5.0

jbabiarz's review

3.0

I thought this was well written and had interesting themes, but it was short and felt a bit unfinished. Would still recommend!

bootlegdarklord's review

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? Yes

5.0

alexisnasya's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful medium-paced

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

3.5

maelyn's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

basicmeb_reads's review

adventurous dark informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

jess_mango's review

4.0

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

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