Exit West

A Novel

By: Mohsin Hamid

Narrated by: Mohsin Hamid

One of The New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

FINALIST FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE & WINNER OF THE L.A. TIMES BOOK PRIZE FOR FICTION and THE ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE

“It was as if Hamid knew what was going to happen to America and the world, and gave us a road map to our future… At once terrifying and … oddly hopeful.” —Ayelet Waldman, The New York Times Book Review

“Moving, audacious, and indelibly human.” —Entertainment Weekly, “A” rating

The New York Times bestselling novel: an astonishingly visionary love story that imagines the forces that drive ordinary people from their homes into the uncertain embrace of new lands, from the author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist and the forthcoming The Last White Man.

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 remarkable 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.

very good

pace was a little slow but overall great book. really like that the story focuses on the young refugees relationship, not the political issues forcing them to leave their country.

Did not live up to the hype

I had heard a lot of great things about this book but it really didn't live up to it. The characters and storyline are largely forgettable, and the fantasy element (which is what made the book sound unusual and special) was similarly a let down.

Unusual and engaging, but also frustrating

I had a love/hate response to the narrator. His slow robotic style of reading was at times annoying, but it also created an atmosphere of timelessness.
I’m glad I read the story because it was thought provoking but I didn’t ‘enjoy’ it. It’s a bit like eating veggies coz they’re good for you, and not because you like them.

great book

very much enjoyed this story. enjoyed the writing style and the topic is very timely.

Try another narrator!

This is a wonderful story, but the author does it no service with the narration, which makes it difficult to stick with to the end. Alas...