Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (Pakistan)

If you’re wondering if there’s a rhyme or rhythm to how I pick the next country to read from I’d love to hear speculations. Do you imagine me fashioning a dart-board with all the countries in neat blocks to pick from through sheer luck, my abominable hand-eye coordination, and throwing pointy metal weapons? Or do you imagine me, more sanely, picking from a jar of crumpled paper pieces with each one labeled with the names of countries, in neat precise handwriting? Well, maybe your theory might not be too far off and maybe the next country I pick will give me away. We’ll find out together. Until then, let’s get on with my review.

So, why Exit West? Um, well my answer was why not considering that I’ve been eyeing this author’s works with apprehension and curiosity since 2019. It feels like a betrayal to read from an author who writes primarily in English with a target audience of native English speakers despite his origins being from Pakistan. But I’m allowed to make my own rules considering I made up this weird reading challenge so it’s okay.

Exit West is set in a country on the brink of a civil war where normal people are trying to live their lives despite the crumbling facades of normalcy all around them. The story is narrated in third-person perspective- an all-knowing narrator who follows the lives of Saeed and Nadia, a young couple-in-the-making as they get to know each other, and additionally the stories of unnamed characters from different parts of the world- people fleeing their countries, fleeing their loneliness and the citizens of the places where refuge is sought. Using the idea of doors that open and close at whim- magical doors that teleport people from one place to another with no logic to them- the author explores the concepts of persecution of refugees, war, and displacement through magical realism. The narrative has an undertone of empathy for both refugees and native people who perceive the refugees as a threat. It’s an important piece of literature and understandably recommended rather highly by everyone.

My main problem with the book was the narrative voice and the pacing. It was difficult to get through because of how slow things were moving plot-wise and how repetitive it felt at times towards the end. I did love the writing style and the beautiful use of metaphors- lines that were rather memorable to the end. I like how it was about immigration and refugees but in a mundane way. It felt like a great depiction of real-life where despite wars, deaths and, displacement people keep living their lives and navigating human emotions of love, loss, and loneliness with fear and their fight for survival persistent in the background.

My takeaway is the beautiful line which goes like this- ‘Everyone migrates, even if we stay in the same houses our whole lives, because we can’t help it. We are all migrants through time.’