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A review by savvyrosereads
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Racism, Religious bigotry, and War