Stephanie Jane reviewed Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Good, but ...
4 stars
I wish I could have loved Exit West as much as the reviewers quoted on the book do, but unfortunately I ended up just a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong. This is still an above average novel and a very good four star read, but I felt it could and should have gripped me that bit more. It should have been a five star and, for me at least, it wasn't.
On the positive side, I did appreciate the tense early scenes in maybe-Syria as Nadia and Saeed's city slowly and then rapidly succumbs to civil war. A line about a flat's boulevard view making it sought after in peacetime, but an obvious target in wartime felt particularly poignant in this week of Teresa May deciding more British bombs is a humane answer. Exit West briefly reminded me of The Cellist Of Sarajevo as streets become impassable, water and …
I wish I could have loved Exit West as much as the reviewers quoted on the book do, but unfortunately I ended up just a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong. This is still an above average novel and a very good four star read, but I felt it could and should have gripped me that bit more. It should have been a five star and, for me at least, it wasn't.
On the positive side, I did appreciate the tense early scenes in maybe-Syria as Nadia and Saeed's city slowly and then rapidly succumbs to civil war. A line about a flat's boulevard view making it sought after in peacetime, but an obvious target in wartime felt particularly poignant in this week of Teresa May deciding more British bombs is a humane answer. Exit West briefly reminded me of The Cellist Of Sarajevo as streets become impassable, water and electricity supplies fail, and simply standing near a window is to put one's life at risk. In this hostile environment, Nadia and Saeed fall in love. Their relationship is completely believable and I did like these characters, but somehow I always felt detached from them. I am not sure if perhaps I was too often told rather than shown, but I always felt like their story was being recounted to me rather than my being fully immersed in it.
This feeling of detachment became stronger as the book progressed. The dark dystopia of the London scenes grabbed my attention and I did like the idea of the doorways. Fantastical obviously, but a vivid illustration of how migrants are often perceived. There is a sense of menace about the darkness of these journeys and in the way the people taking them just appear, one after another after another. As Nadia and Saeed approached their first doorway, I understood how desperate people would have to be to take such a risk.
Perhaps also a problem with Exit West is that it is a short book, especially short considering the amount of story it has to tell. I wanted more depth and to connect more, particularly with Saeed who, at times, I am not sure I fully understood. Reading back over this review I realise it does have quite a negative vibe which is harsh. I did enjoy reading Exit West and would happily pick up another Hamid novel. I think my expectations were just pitched too high.
