Every Exit Brings You Home

by Naeem Murr

A profound, bittersweet portrait of a Gazan immigrant’s heroic efforts to heal his community and birth love from tragedy.

As a financial crisis looms, Jamal “Jack” Shaban is trying to save the residents of his Chicago condo from bankruptcy. But who is Jack, really?

Is he Midwestern, born and bred? Egyptian? Straight or gay? For his flight attendant colleagues, he’s an object of desire, even love, particularly for his sweetly bawdy Wisconsinite best friend, Birdy. Birdy knows nothing about Dimra, Jack’s traditional Muslim wife, with whom Jack is desperate to have a child. Enter an angry single mom new to Jack’s building. The resulting tangle of love, desire, and conflict returns Jack to the violence of 1980s Gaza, where a taboo affair nearly destroyed his life. All that anyone truly knows about Jack is how readily he sacrifices himself for peace between his embittered neighbors.

With Jack’s impassioned care for others at its heart, this gorgeous novel weaves past and present, tragedy and bittersweet comedy, into a brilliant allegory for this wounded world we must all share.

Genres: Fiction, Queer, Realistic Fiction, Audiobook, Adult, Adult Fiction, Immigration

336 pages, Hardcover

First published February 3, 2026

About the author

Naeem Murrʼs first novel, The Boy, was a New York Times Notable Book. Another novel, The Genius of the Sea, was published in 2003. His latest, The Perfect Man, was awarded The Commonwealth Writersʼ Prize for the Best Book of Europe and South Asia, and was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize. His work has been translated into eight languages. He has received many awards for his writing, most recently a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Pen Beyond Margins Award. He has been a writer-in-residence at the University of Missouri, Western Michigan, and Northwestern University, among others. Born and brought up in London, he has lived in America since his early twenties, and currently resides in Chicago.

Photo: copyright Alan Cross.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immersive novel about a Palestinian man, Jack, who works as a flight attendant and heads a Chicago condo association. There’s a lot going on in Jack’s life – he and his wife Dimra have tried and failed to conceive a child for many years, Jack has a complicated past relationship with a fellow flight attendant Birdy, and Marcia, a new resident in Jack’s condo introduces both anger and shades of something subtler into Jack’s life. Naeem Murr intersperses memories of Jack’s tragic past in Gaza throughout Jack’s present-day life in Chicago.

There is so much going on in this novel. For me, it largely worked. The flashbacks of the horrible violence Jack and other Palestinians experienced was heartbreaking and necessary to read. Murr’s writing was engaging and specific; I felt drawn into Jack’s relationships with the residents of the condo. I felt like this was a rare novel where there were many characters to keep track of, yet I still liked and felt drawn to them, even if they each had unpleasant characteristics. There were some scenes at the end that genuinely moved me and I felt sadness for these characters’ suffering, anger at the injustice they experienced, and some small hope for the ones who got a more slightly promising ending. As cliché as this may sound this book and its characters made me think of the importance of empathy, of how people are three dimensional and have whole lives and pasts we may not be aware of.

I could see this book being perhaps divisive among reviewers because there is a lot going on – a lot in Jack’s present life and then we get a ton of flashbacks too. The structure of the book is a bit chaotic. Even if that quietly chaotic structure is partially why I give this book four stars instead of five (and because Jack’s character arc still feels rather unresolved by the end), I was engaged by Murr’s storytelling and may read some of his other books.

[Justin W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to W. W. Norton & Company for providing an advance copy for review via NetGalley.

This is a novel for readers who love literary fiction that lingers, especially immigrant stories that sit with you, unsettle you, and demand reflection after you have set the book down.

Every Exit Brings You Home follows Jamal “Jack," a Gazan refugee now living in a struggling Chicago condominium, where he is thrust into the role of fixer, mediator, and condo board leader. But, Jack is a man of contradictions. He is devoted yet deeply flawed, he is generous yet dishonest, shaped by both the violence of his past and the compromises of his present. His greatest longing for a family, for stability, and for belonging, continues to remain just out of reach.

What struck me most was the novel’s discomfort. Murr juxtaposes Jack’s memories of Gaza with the small, suffocating dramas of American condo life ahead of the Great Recession in a way that never lets the reader get too comfortable. Even in supposed “greener pastures" of America, trauma echoes. The book offers a view of life shaped by occupation and terror and acknowledges both the brutality of Israeli soldiers and the devastating violence Hamas inflicts on Gazans. It centers the interior life of someone who fled, survived, and is still searching for home and what family should be.

The novel is heavy by design. There are moments of gentle, almost surprising humor, but they only deepen the poignancy. Jack’s choices can be frustrating, even painful to read through, yet they feel undoubtedly human.

While the narrative occasionally jumps abruptly through time, topic, and geography, the storytelling itself is beautiful. The story is marked by a deep sense of community, complex relationships, and an unapologetic emotional honesty. The result is a book that stayed with me long after I finished it.

For readers drawn to literary fiction, immigrant narratives, and stories that explore how history reshapes love, family, and moral compromise, this is a meaningful and memorable read.

[Bre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone who reviewed this book wrote “terribly, beautifully human” and I think that about sums it up

[Annie Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book flat out just crushed me. I am devastated by this book I am going through so many emotions my mind is racing after this read. Naeem Murr has such a raw and beautiful writing style I am just in awe at this book. I loved that in his acknowledgements he put some of the books he read about Gaza and other Middle Eastern and Asian conflicts. You can feel while reading the effort and passion Murr put into creating this story. I will be raving about this for a long time.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

So glad they added the Did Not Finish category. This was the third book in a row with characters I didn’t really like or believe in. Is it me? I’m taking a break from fiction.

[T · Rating 2 out of 5]

Needs an editor. Parts of this were pretty interesting. Jack dealing with all the residents at the condo. Jack being unsure about his sexuality. Some parts about Dimra and Birdy. But there was no direction, no story.

[Sorayya Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a powerful, devastating read about the immediate impossible present and the crushing past that has Jack (Jamal) forever in its grip. What does it mean to be human amidst generations of war? How is it possible to begin again -- or is it? Every Exit Brings You Home is beautifully written and constructed, and its spare and direct tone elucidates the overwhelming ache of the story. The story is of a man attempting to make a home in the gap between striving toward the American Dream and coming to terms with the past. It connects the world in the rude and unexpected ways that are absolutely true, a television that won't stop blasting the news, desire that cannot rest, racism that thrives. The book is profoundly sad, but the possibility of redemption lives in the miraculous relationships Jack, a flight attendant, establishes with others as president of a condo association. I closed the book knowing that Jack's heart will stay open. The novel--in breadth and depth--is a tremendous accomplishment.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent. I am drawn to stories about immigrant experiences and this did not disappoint. Jack and Dimra came to the US from Gaza and have been trying for years to have a child. He is the head of his condo association and deeply involved in some of the neighbors lives. Meanwhile Dimra provides free child care for one of them and the children transfer their attachment to her. The plot is intriguing and the characters are multi-dimensional. The novel poignantly portrays complicated sexuality and relationships, economic hardships, and racial prejudices. I just thought it was terrific.

[Freddie Brush · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes confusing. Complicated in its simplicity. Terribly, beautifully human.

[meesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 — meandering at places, vacillated between empathy and frustration with the mc. but overall — free palestine 🇵🇸

[Susan Volentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very moving book about trauma and shame explored from many angles. Many of the stories are about refugees and Jack is from Gaza. A very interesting viewpoint but the trauma was overwhelming at times Jack’s level of compassion is amazing as he handles many difficult situations with his emotions often muted by his intense shame. I hope the endings for Jack and Marcia work out.

[Joe Norton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devastating and beautiful.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We all stand on mountains looking down at burning cities.”

[Wendy Cosin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise sounded interesting -- a Palestinian man moves to Chicago with his traditional Muslim wife and leads the homeowners' association of a deteriorating condominium complex in Chicago. Plus his back story and a variety of identities that he wears with others - devoted to his sick wife, but with friends and lovers, gay and straight.

It didn't work for me. The condo members were caricatures, the history of Palestine was smushed into a few dry pages, and I didn't care about the protagonist, whose character was too fuzzy.

[J. Duff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Naeem Murr's important and compelling contemporary story is wonderfully complex while his narrative abilities make it easily followed. His wit, especially in occasional metaphorical gems, often stops the reader who will want to savor it. This is a novel of unusual characteristics with clearly drawn characters. We believe we have met them and take much pleasure in the art that brings them to us.

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s much to admire about this novel, but, boy, is it dismal. It’s set primarily in a dilapidated condo building in Rogers Park (north Chicago), inhabited mostly by people whose dismal lives reflect the state of the building and whose prior lives were even more dismal. This is particularly true for the principal characters, married couple Jack and Dimra, Palestinians who escaped extreme hardship in Gaza, which is described in vivid, bitter prose, but are unable to have the children they long for. Instead, kind Dimra cares for the children of the angry young woman living in the basement apartment while kind Jack (Jamal), as president of the condo association, fixes the problems of all the building’s residents. Yet this kind Jack, whom everyone–including me–thinks is “good,” has sex with a woman while his beloved dying wife cares for the woman’s two young children. If any characters ever deserved a happy ending, it’s Jack & Dimra, but we know that’s unlikely. The prose is affecting, and the structure deftly shifts between past and present and between domestic drama and world affairs. Occasionally, though, the prose is overwrought, as in a description of a character’s face as “expressive of the chronic spiritual dyspepsia resulting from indigestible injustice” (152). Also the financial details mostly don’t add up. One final note: It’s sad to see how ignorant some American characters can be of conditions in the Mideast; I want to think the author exaggerates, but I suspect that he does not. And not just the Mideast: When a fellow flight attendant asks Jack what he’s reading, he explains that it’s a novel by a Ukrainian Jew who was murdered in Auschwitz. She responds, “Did they ever catch who murdered her?” When Jack’s friend explains that “Auschwitz was a concentration camp where just over a million people were murdered, most of them Jews,” she is shocked: “Oh, was that a long time ago, then?” (299)

[Mario Mirabelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a difficult read with heartbreaking suffering and yet it compels you to continue. Set in a yet to gentrify part of Chicago after the financial crisis (2010), Jack and Dimra live in a smaller condominium building which Jack is the head of the condo association. They are both from Gaza where their marriage was arranged but were forced to leave as both families have troubled backgrounds in the region.
Present day Jack is a flight attendant and Dimra is struggling to have a child after several miscarriages as she watches on TV the on-going struggles in Gaza where her parents still live. Interspersed throughout are the memories of their lives in Gaza as well as a history of the region. Both are deeply damaged from their life experiences.
In addition, the financial crisis has caused much heartache throughout the country and is deeply felt throughout this building. And just for more drama, a new owner, a pregnant women with a four year old daughter, moved into what is basically a cruddy basement unit with many issues.
I am not sure what more past and present woes could be added but more there are. At times, this story is overwhelming in its grief, yet an inkling of support, community and empathy prevail. Enjoy.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG. Beautiful, heartbreaking, gorgeous writing that has made me think, rethink, and will ultimately stick with me for some time. Most likely, you had a first love. That first love can shatter you, those emotions of youth never go away. But what if that first love literally cost you your family, your future, the lives of those you care for? And how do you cope with that as functioning adults in a healthy relationship? Even more, what if, such as in this book, this first love was mixed up in the midst of Israeli-Palestinian conflict? How do any of us survive as decent human beings? This book explores the life of Jack (Jemal) and his wife, Dimra, both fundamentally good people, messed up and refusing to acknowledge their own past while trying to start a new life in Chicago. The story focuses on Jack, but I believe an even more powerful story exists with Dimra, who takes a backseat to his drama until the very end. I hope it’s another book coming! What a powerful story that is painfully human.

[Angie Waller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Won a copy on Goodreads giveaways. It was just okay. The story itself had potential, and overall I did like where it went, but the writing style made it harder to fully enjoy.
There was a lot of jumping back in time in the middle of chapters, which made it difficult to follow the present-day storyline. I often found myself having to reorient to figure out when things were happening. While some sections were beautifully written and really engaging, others felt slow and a bit boring.
I also struggled to connect with many of the characters. Jack, in particular, was pretty awful and hard to sympathize with. The only characters I truly liked were Dirma and Birdy—they brought some warmth and depth to the story.
In the end, I appreciated the overall concept and themes, but the structure and character development didn’t quite work for me. It had strong moments, just not consistently enough to make it a favorite.

[Brandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Exit Brings You Home is about Jack, a Gazan man living in Chicago with his wife, Dimra. Like many others, including all of the neighbors in their condo building, Jack and Dimra are just trying to get by.

Jack works as a flight attendant and Dimra is desperate to have a baby. Jack tries to be a good neighbor, helping out where he can. He reflects on his life before coming to the U.S., and wonders about some of the compulsive lies he’s told to colleagues and others. He isn’t perfect. Dimra is dealing with severe physical pain and concerned for her family back home in Gaza.

Every Exit Brings You Home is a slice of life story with characters who are authentic and flawed. The book isn’t necessarily a happy one, dealing with both personal challenges and current events — People are struggling all around, whether they internalize it or verbalize it. I appreciated the realistic elements in this story, even when bleak at times.

[Mary Robideaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

You might think that the plot of this novel is a typical refugee story told from the Gazan viewpoint, and that theme is in this book. If I were to give this book an overall theme, I would choose humanity. Not all of the humans in this book are from Gaza, and they are not all immigrants. They are gay, straight, white, black, thieves and saints.... The author has constructed this bittersweet, sometimes tragic story, in a beautiful style. I listened to this book, and I was sometimes confused, but I don't blame the author for that. I blame my own lack of concentration. (Goodreads says the audio is not released yet, but I got it from my library) All in all, a different and informative look at not only immigrants seeking the American dream, but also people living in America just trying to keep themselves and their families together.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hard read for all its "nonfiction" history of how people survive/survived in the Middle East for generations, for Palestinians, Gazans, Egyptians, the myriad tribes and individuals who call those places home. And for those who, while not being bombed night after night and terrorized by military and police, are held captive by dysfunctional childhoods, financial challenges of housing and health care (and the latest terrors of ICE) here in the USA. Jack/Jamal tries to navigate both of these worlds and their intersections and somehow keeps trying to make things better for those immediately around him. Multilayered, complex characters, each memorable in their own ways, journeys through life with suffering, kindness, addictions, longings, guilt, love, desire, families, betrayal, community, deeply human. Incredible writing.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gosh these messed up perfectly human people grew on me…I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen to them all. I’m pretty certain I will remember them for a long time.

There’s something all-American about this diverse group of people living in this shit building trying their best to grasp a little bit of happy in their very difficult lives.

I both felt it was heavy on the backstory for Jack and Dimra and also fascinated about learning more about growing up in Palestine. I’ve decided instead of wanting more of other characters backstory in this book, I’d now like a second novel heavy on May’s backstory.

[Emily Lemus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Exit is a fast, emotionally driven novel about flawed people making messy choices. There’s a focus on friendships, relationships, regret, and the consequences of infidelity. While the writing is engaging and the story moves quickly, the emphasis on betrayal makes the emotional experience feel repetitive and difficult to fully invest in. It’s a solid one-time read, but not one I’d revisit or strongly recommend.

[Suzanne Savard · Rating 4 out of 5]

So outside of my genre I never expected it to become compulsively readable—books like this tend to drag on for the better part of a month for lack of inertia to pick them up and actually read. Not so with Every Exit Brings You Home, and thus I have to acknowledge it for what it was. A really dang good novel that transcends genre, addresses human complexity, and overall maintains its ability to be an enjoyable read despite its heavy content.

[Hena · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4 because I appreciated having some more insight into life in Gaza. However, the flashbacks didn't always work well, particularly when they involved history lessons and recountings of other characters' lives rather than the main character's own memories. The main character lusting after so many other characters was also a bit much.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bleak, devastating - a gut punch. I listened to this as an audiobook and probably would have given it 5 stars if I’d read it instead of listened. The narrator was not up to the task of something this heavy.

[Brandi Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4. I loved the book and the exploration of the intersections of love, grief, displacement, home and the meaning of community. However, the end felt rushed and I wish there would have been more insight into Dimra’s ending.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this story pretty fascinating, but what really impressed me was how deep and well-developed the non-main characters were. This made me want to read the author's other books (especially since this one was set in the past but published in 2026).

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has more layers than a head of green cabbage!

War, death, sex, marriages, friendships, in-laws, careers etc.

I think this could have less chapters especially towards the end.

Quite a few insufferable characters. Jack, is too human.