Exit West

[Kath]

Hello All --
I hope you've had a chance to read Mohsin Hamid's Exit West and are ready to chat about it!

I've gathered a few questions to kick us off; feel free to answer one or more or also feel free to comment on anything else you enjoyed, didn't like, found interesting etc.

1) Nadia and Saeed's original home city was never named; why do you think that is? Did you picture a specific location yourself?

2) Interspersed with the main story of Saeed and Nadia were snippets of happenings in other parts of the world. What do you think is the purpose of these interludes?

3) What did you think of the magical doors? Why do you think the migration itself is absent from the narrative?

4) In the cities to which migrants flee, Hamid writes that people began to reassemble with others of their own kind, “like superficially with like.” At one point, even Saeed wants him and Nadia to relocate to live with others like them, though Nadia resists. What do you think is behind this human impulse?

5) Do you think Exit West is a hopeful book? Why or why not?

[Becky]

Kath,
I was listening to the book which gives it an extra element. It was all narrated by one man. I think the idea of not to name their city is to keep it general. I did picture Kabul and the Taliban as their history was similar. But it could as easily been somewhere in Pakistan.
I was surprised by the magical doors. I was expecting it to be a story of endurance under harsh conditions within one region. Whereas it was that, but many regions.
I think the book is meant to be realistic and hopeful. That humans are their own worst enemy and best hope.

[Lori]

I, too pictured Kabul or another Afghan or Iraqi city for their unnamed location. I really liked the idea of the doors. It helped me think about the plight of refugees and what it would be like to have other options available. (Plus, I really like magical realism.) It also brought home the pressures of having relationships in times of crisis. I think ultimately, it's a hopeful book...that maybe we can understand other cultures and cultivate tolerance.

[Ellen]

I was confused by the scattered in snippets of other people migrating through doors. I assume the purpose was to show how widespread migration is, but I found it distracting.

At first I was thinking Syria, but then the parts about restrictions on dress, facial hair, etc. also made me think of the Taliban.

I had very mixed feelings about this book. I was engaged by it at times. But at other times I was put off by the rather dispassionate nature of the narrative. I wasn't prepared at all for the approach of skipping the journey and going through a door instead to arrive in a new place. I felt the ending was sort of abrupt and left me dissatisfied.

[Marlies]

Although it took me a while to get into it, I liked the book. When they first mentioned the idea of doors, it thought it was going to turn out to be an urban legend but when the doors were real I liked the idea that some of the doors were more guarded than others. If there was a strongly guarded door then it was to a desirable place and less desirable places were less guarded. I didn't even realize that the country wasn't mentioned, I immediately went to Afghan in my mind

I think the idea of being with "your own kind" is human nature and there are those who find comfort in it and those who want to break away. Nadia always seemed to be the person who just didn't want to conform with society. It was natural for her to want to break away while Saeed grew up in a strong loving family and wanted to stay with those like him. Even here at UB, international students seem to gravitate to others from their own country. That isn't to say that they couldn't make friends who share similar experiences from other countries but it takes a stronger personality to go outside of their comfort zone, to take a leap of faith, that others will accept them for who they are.

[Kath]

Ellen, I was also thinking Syria at first but then figured it could be any one of several of places in the mideast. I also was tense and distracted by the first few snippets of other people in other places but then rather liked it. I felt it made sense, like showing how the world as a whole continues on in good and bad ways no matter what crisis is occurring to individuals. It also made me think about how insulated we are in the US from the many wars and tragedies happening in other parts of the world.

I assumed the doors were a hoax in the beginning but enjoyed how it made everyone look at their own doors differently. I thought it a sweet and hopeful contrast with how their attitudes changed towards the windows that now were a danger instead of a pleasant feature. When the doors turned out to be real I felt it strange that the author skipped over the actual migration process but later felt it a kindness in some ways because you know those trips had to be harrowing and awful. And I really enjoyed how we were able to see Saaed and Nadia as immigrants in different parts of the world and situations.

Their drifting apart made sense to me as their individual viewpoints changed and broadened as they gained new ideas of their potential futures. Especially as Nadia had always been so restricted in her original circumstances.

[Kath]

And, Marlies, I totally agree about the comfort of finding people who grew up in the same place and culture. I think about our international students, too, and really admire how they come from the other side of the planet, without family and with limited language skills. It must be exhausting and intimidating and I imagine they find fellow countrymen to be a relief and a comfort. I don't think I could do it.

[Ellen]

The thing that kept occurring to me is what do they do all day? Once their city became engulfed by war, Nadia and Saeed never seemed to hold jobs again. Or at least not until they reached Marin County, toward the end of the book.

Not having anything specific to do and not being able to get out and about freely must be so difficult and frustrating. On top of losing most of your possessions, not knowing what/when you'll eat, if you'll have a roof over your head. How exhausting and scary!

[Lori]

Author Khaled Hosseini was on NPR this morning talking about his new book, an illustrated prayer for refugees. It made me think of our discussions about Exit West. Interesting connections with cities, memories, relationships and how terrifying it all is. https://www.npr.org/2018/09/19/649276...

[Kath]

You're right, Ellen -- their worlds kept shrinking as the violence grew closer; from city to nearby neighborhoods to houses and then even had to block their windows and were scared to be outside. Really unimaginable the despair and horror of what all of these refugees endure in their homes and in trying to escape to safety.

Thanks, Lori, for the link to the Hosseini piece -- that new book of his sounds heartbreaking.

[Ellen]

I can't really put my finger on it, but there was something about this book that didn't feel right to me. I think it was the lack of emotion shown by the author in recounting the events. It was so matter-of-fact and sort of emotionless. I'm guessing it was deliberate on the part of the author. But it seemed to me that when people's lives were falling apart around them like this, there should have been more emotion. On the other hand, that could devolve into a super tough book to read. It's a fine line for sure. Thoughts?

[Marlies]

I agree with you Ellen. It seems as if things just happened to them without all that emotion. But maybe that's what happens when you have no control over the situation and are just trying to survive. Maybe too much emotion makes you soft and less aware of what you need to do to survive. I couldn't imagine living like that. Makes me glad for what we have here. The only real emotion I felt in the book was when Saeed relates to his parents, especially his father. I thought the love he had for his family came through even though he had to leave them. I think he understood why his father wouldn't flee with them but it didn't make it any easier. I believed his father had a very real idea of what was happening, especially when he asked Nadia to stay with his son until he was safe and then she could go on with her life. I think he saw that they didn't have an everlasting life and wanted them both to be safe and happy

[Marlies]

I also heard the Khaled Hosseini interview on NPR and can't wait to read the book. I love his books! They said the book was written in the form of a letter from a father to his son. Stories of families in wartime are always heartbreaking and loving at the same time.

[Kath]

To me it felt matter of fact but not emotionless. I think the author told us how they were anxious, got irritated and angry with each other, felt tenderness and love for each other (and the father)... Mostly I felt their feelings of exhaustion and insecurity in their circumstances.

I think he did make it seem more commonplace and matter of fact as a choice; maybe because this is happening to so many millions of people around the world? Maybe to bring awareness without turning people off with the terror of it all? I don't know; I didn't actually notice or feel the same discordance, Ellen. Marlies, you have a good point about having no control; they are forced to keep moving and adjusting and they just have to cope or die.

And now for some crazy stats I just found on the UN's Refugee Agency site: As of 2017, 68.5 million people have been forced from their homes due to persecution, conflict or generalized violence. Of these, 40 million are internally displaced in their own countries and 25 million are refugees. Last year, more than 16 million people were newly displaced. Those figures are staggering and way more than I realized. It's hard to imagine.

http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/figures-at...
http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/5b27be547....

[Ellen]

Those statistics are staggering! I can't even imagine being displaced like in this book.

To return to an earlier question, I'm not sure if I think this book is hopeful. My gut instinct is no. Especially knowing that this is sort of the "new norm."

But on the other hand, seeing that the human spirit can adapt to just about anything is hopeful in a way, I guess?