Reviews with content warning for Xenophobia - Exit West

Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

lawbooks600's review

dark emotional medium-paced

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

2.5

Representation: Black and Asian characters
Score: Five out of ten.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid is like a novel wrapped in incoherent and incorrect English where the first half is incredible but the second is a letdown. I remember reading a blurb saying Exit West meets An American Marriage, so after an entire year and a few months, I read Exit West, ignoring the low ratings, but it was underwhelming.

It starts with Saeed and Nadia living in an unnamed city in an unnamed country in a civil war that grows closer the more pages I read. Saeed and Nadia (who are already in a romantic relationship) have to flee, beginning the second half of the narrative, but Exit West is no ordinary refugee story. Do they cross countries or get on a boat? No, rather they discover a magical black door that can take them to any country in the world, so they enter it and land in Greece.

However, they discover another door so they can travel to America, London in the UK, and finally, Marrakech in Morocco. Sounds tedious? It is. If the only problem in Exit West are those doors, then I would be done with this review, but I'm not done. These doors represent an effortless way out, which misrepresents refugee experiences. In reality, some survive but have to face challenges. Some die, and no refugee has the privilege of teleporting out of their country. The characters are difficult to relate with, but adding depth could improve the reading experience.

The most frustrating aspect are the run-on sentences. Hamid, have you heard of splitting sentences? That could help. One sentence lasted for one page and a few lines, so imagine reading that. This creation attempts a heartwarming conclusion with Saeed and Nadia in Marrakech together, but I didn't think they had chemistry. Exit West is another disappointing piece of literary fiction, so my search for an enjoyable one continues.

Content Warnings

violerwolf's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

Hamid’s circular, winding prose is definitely not for everyone, and I think it probably turns a lot of people away from this book. This style works really well though at creating a sense of calm inevitability throughout the book, that everything that happens will happen because of who the characters are and what the world is. Hamid’s focus on intersectionality within the novel plays well with the larger themes of immigration and community. Similarly, the lack of specificity of where Nadia and Saeed are from creates the sense that they could be anyone and everyone. I did find the characterization awkward at points, and I went into the book originally assuming the doors to be a much larger part of the plot rather than a simple allegory for open/uncontrolled borders, but overall I’m excited to check out Hamid’s other work.

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kashrae99's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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savvyrosereads's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

Rating: 3/5 stars

Nadia and Saeed flee their war-torn nation through a magical door that can help people travel long distances.

I buddy read this one with my friend Hannah and our conversation about it was…probably my favorite part of the read. This wasn’t bad, exactly, but I never really got pulled into the story, and I found myself feeling like this book was trying to make deep points with meaningfully political commentary, yet none of it was landing for me. I couldn’t even tell you what I thought the main philosophical/intellectual takeaways from this were, which is never a great sign.

That said, this is a very short read, and others might find more to connect with! For me, I wanted to see the magical realism element explored a LOT more, and wanted more plot points that grabbed me and made me feel emotionally connected with the story.

CW: Violence/war/blood; death of parent; xenophobia/racism

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aquakirst's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

incredibly poignant, especially in light of the genocide happening in palestine

the vignettes of various people peppered throughout the story were beautifully written, and i was invested in every story hamid chose to tell. i did find his prose a bit clunky at times, like he was trying too hard to be poetic when simplicity would have been more evocative, but overall exit west is a beautiful story of love, loss and hope

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emvdw's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

I read this as the atrocious situation in Gaza was evolving and it was very sobering and made it quite a hard read for me. Not because of the book itself, but the context made it hard to get through. Part of the message of the book, of course, is that this context is happening all the time, all over, so I shouldn't have a hard time reading this book NOW as opposed to any other time, but it is undeniable that the news cycle has an effect on what is on the forefront of your mind.

I really liked this book. It is written in a very peculiar way, and it feels a bit detached sometimes. This is what held me back from giving it a full 5 stars, because I didn't feel fully connected to the characters. It's a bit hard to describe, but I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, but challenging and interesting read.

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theliteraryhooker's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective slow-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

4.0

A moving story that felt very introspective while also commenting on our world and society as a whole. Heartbreaking yet hopeful in equal measure. I felt the book dragged a bit in the middle which I think the slower pace in that sec ion may have been intentional given the context of the book but it still pulled my attention out of the story a bit.

Content Warnings