Publisher: Riverhead Books / Penguin Audio
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Format: MP3 Download
Pages: 240 | Audio Length:4 hours 42 mins
Narrator: Mohsin Hamid
Source: Audiobook Publisher
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Review Date: March 15, 2017
Rating: 3 bookmarks
Synopsis: In a country teetering on the brink of civil war, two young people meet—sensual, fiercely independent Nadia and gentle, restrained Saeed. They embark on a furtive love affair and are soon cloistered in a premature intimacy by the unrest roiling their city. When it explodes, turning familiar streets into a patchwork of checkpoints and bomb blasts, they begin to hear whispers about doors—doors that can whisk people far away, if perilously and for a price. As the violence escalates, Nadia and Saeed decide that they no longer have a choice. Leaving their homeland and their old lives behind, they find a door and step through.
Exit West follows these characters as they emerge into an alien and uncertain future, struggling to hold on to each other, to their past, to the very sense of who they are. Profoundly intimate and powerfully inventive, it tells an unforgettable story of love, loyalty, and courage that is both completely of our time and for all time.
*This audiobook was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Format: MP3 Download
Pages: 240 | Audio Length:4 hours 42 mins
Narrator: Mohsin Hamid
Source: Audiobook Publisher
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Review Date: March 15, 2017
Rating: 3 bookmarks
Synopsis: In a country teetering on the brink of civil war, two young people meet—sensual, fiercely independent Nadia and gentle, restrained Saeed. They embark on a furtive love affair and are soon cloistered in a premature intimacy by the unrest roiling their city. When it explodes, turning familiar streets into a patchwork of checkpoints and bomb blasts, they begin to hear whispers about doors—doors that can whisk people far away, if perilously and for a price. As the violence escalates, Nadia and Saeed decide that they no longer have a choice. Leaving their homeland and their old lives behind, they find a door and step through.
Exit West follows these characters as they emerge into an alien and uncertain future, struggling to hold on to each other, to their past, to the very sense of who they are. Profoundly intimate and powerfully inventive, it tells an unforgettable story of love, loyalty, and courage that is both completely of our time and for all time.
*This audiobook was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.
Exit West immediately grabbed my attention with the first sentence, “In a city swollen by refugees but still mostly at peace, or at least not yet openly at war, a young man met a young woman in a classroom and did not speak to her.” This line foreshadows the silence in the relationship of this young couple as they flee the turmoil of their city, country, and families. Saeed and Nadia are students who attend business school at night and maintain full-time jobs during the day. They meet one evening at a café and Saeed falls for Nadia. She is mysterious and unorthodox. She rides a motorcycle, lives alone and wears a black robe not for religious reasons but to conceal her body. She tells Saeed she wears it “so no one fucks with me.” Shortly after their clandestine relationship begins, war arises in their city. There is loss of water, the phone systems, internet access and electricity. Executions are occurring daily and shots are heard everywhere. A stray bullet kills one of Saeed’s loved ones and he becomes more concerned for Nadia’s safety. When the unrest becomes unbearable, Saeed and Nadia make the choice to flee their country through one of the many "doors that could take you elsewhere, often to places far away, well removed from this deathtrap of a country."
Saeed is reserved, non-confrontational, religious and protective of the woman he loves. Nadia is brazen and vibrate. She is confident with her sexuality and unapologetic about it. She often encourages Saeed to engage in pre-marital sex and does not pray. These polar opposite attributes are what brings their relationship to a slow burn. Moshin’s visual and lyrical writing style made me love both characters for their strengths and weaknesses. I found myself rooting for Nadia when she wouldn’t back down when Saeed asked her to hurry up when she took a long bath after not being able to take one for days. And I yelled “get a back bone” to Saeed when he didn’t stand up to the Nigerian woman who blocked his path at the London house when he tried to enter.
Moshin’s writing style is full of allegory that enhanced the aesthetic appeal of the story. He never gives the reader the name of the city/country where Saeed & Nadia lived, but his description allowed us to see this story in any war torn city/country in the world. Each dark “door” they entered seemed to magically transport them to their next location. Although the doors were taking them away from the “deathtrap” of their country, the darkness Moshin describes symbolizes the dreadfulness that comes with being a refugee. He made me understand their plight to safety and a place to call home. His beautiful writing also let me feel the love and uncertainty between Nadia and Saeed as they journeyed West through each door.
Moshin’s (the author) narration is very lackluster. He did not breathe life into this story, he basically read it. This is a very emotional story and Moshin did not come through when it came to evoking feelings of sadness, fear or love to name a few. When Nadia said she wears the black robe “so no one fucks with me”, I had to rewind the story because I wasn’t sure what I just heard. That statement deserved INFLECTION (and a hand clap)! However, I must say Moshin’s accent did provide authenticity to the story and made me more aware of their migration and struggles as they traveled from Europe to the United States. This book only has 240 pages, but the pace of his narration made you feel as if you were reading over 350 pages.
I was intrigued with this story from the beginning and my interest piqued when they first escaped their country through the first door/portal to their new life. But then stories of odd characters, not pertaining to the plight of Nadia and Saeed, would pop-up in the oddest places of the book. Their stories were those of immigrants, but it took away from the story for me as I listened because it was not seamless. I would recommend the print version of this book versus audio to experience and appreciate Moshin’s beautiful prose as it is lost in the audio version of this book.
Moshin’s writing style is full of allegory that enhanced the aesthetic appeal of the story. He never gives the reader the name of the city/country where Saeed & Nadia lived, but his description allowed us to see this story in any war torn city/country in the world. Each dark “door” they entered seemed to magically transport them to their next location. Although the doors were taking them away from the “deathtrap” of their country, the darkness Moshin describes symbolizes the dreadfulness that comes with being a refugee. He made me understand their plight to safety and a place to call home. His beautiful writing also let me feel the love and uncertainty between Nadia and Saeed as they journeyed West through each door.
Moshin’s (the author) narration is very lackluster. He did not breathe life into this story, he basically read it. This is a very emotional story and Moshin did not come through when it came to evoking feelings of sadness, fear or love to name a few. When Nadia said she wears the black robe “so no one fucks with me”, I had to rewind the story because I wasn’t sure what I just heard. That statement deserved INFLECTION (and a hand clap)! However, I must say Moshin’s accent did provide authenticity to the story and made me more aware of their migration and struggles as they traveled from Europe to the United States. This book only has 240 pages, but the pace of his narration made you feel as if you were reading over 350 pages.
I was intrigued with this story from the beginning and my interest piqued when they first escaped their country through the first door/portal to their new life. But then stories of odd characters, not pertaining to the plight of Nadia and Saeed, would pop-up in the oddest places of the book. Their stories were those of immigrants, but it took away from the story for me as I listened because it was not seamless. I would recommend the print version of this book versus audio to experience and appreciate Moshin’s beautiful prose as it is lost in the audio version of this book.
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About Reviewer Classy:
I am basically a lover of books. This love began when my family moved across from the local library in my neighborhood and they gave you a star for every book you read. I was hooked. I read across genres, but mystery and thrillers have my heart. I am always reading two or more books at one time and constantly adding more books to my TBR list. I read books in any format, but I prefer audiobooks because I can multi-task without taking time out of my busy schedule.
I am basically a lover of books. This love began when my family moved across from the local library in my neighborhood and they gave you a star for every book you read. I was hooked. I read across genres, but mystery and thrillers have my heart. I am always reading two or more books at one time and constantly adding more books to my TBR list. I read books in any format, but I prefer audiobooks because I can multi-task without taking time out of my busy schedule.
