Books & Boba discussion

Hi, everyone! For the month of July, we will be reading Mohsin Hamid's magical realism novel Exit West .

As always, we strongly encourage people to share their questions and comments on the monthly pick in the Goodreads forums. We definitely want people in our book club to feel included in the discussions, whether it's in-person, online, or on the podcast.

I'm on a very long wait list for it the library. Hopefully I'll get my hands on it in time.

Great choice; I've been wanting to read that!

I'm in the same boat as Lauren. Fingers crossed!

Listening to the audiobook. Hamid has quite a pleasant reading voice! I'm 14 min in and it's a good read/listen. (I might pick up the book from the library though since I like reading more than listening.)

Hamid does such an evocative job of bringing his characters to life. They aren't your usual characters either. What do you guys think about the scene of(view spoiler)[ magical realism that takes place in Japan (hide spoiler)]?

(@24%) this was worth a chuckle:(view spoiler)[he wants to wait until they're married to have sex, but she doesn't want to wait. (hide spoiler)]

I just finished the novel last night, and wow, for a slim novel there is a lot of story. Like many other readers, I found Hamid's writing beautiful and whimsical. It almost felt like I was reading a fairy tale, though a dark and grim one that's more of a cautionary tale.

Personally, I thought Hamid did a fantastic job portraying what immigrants and refugees have to endure in this day and age. The novel dives deep into the concerns and questions immigrants and refugees have when they decide to leave their country of origin: Will I survive the journey? Will I ever be able to see my family and home again? How soon will I adapt and feel like I belong in this new and foreign place?

While Hamid intentionally leaves out the name of Saeed and Nadia's country, I couldn't help but imagine it to be Syria, which is why I think Hamid's novel is very timely. It was also nice to see other countries and refugees of different ethnicities portrayed in the book. I was a bit surprised by how little magical realism was in the story after reading the book jacket description.

I also really liked the development of Saeed and Nadia's relationship. Saeed and Nadia are almost complete opposites yet they have this very deep bond. Nadia is an independent woman who is comfortable with her sensuality and tends to challenge gender norms while Saeed lives with his parents and seems to conform more to his country's customs. It was fascinating to see their relationship unfold and how each of them had changed in their "journey to the West."

Reera wrote: "I just finished the novel last night, and wow, for a slim novel there is a lot of story. Like many other readers, I found Hamid's writing beautiful and whimsical. It almost felt like I was reading ..."

insightful review.

Done!

The long sentences add a rhythm to the prose, but I had to follow it closely (it was easier to follow in the audiobook). Although I found the narrative voice somewhat detached, there's quite a bit of emotional power in it. I cried a few times during the dissolution of their relationship and how prayer connected Saeed to his community and his parents.

I got the audiobook from library. Wanted to love "Exit West" but couldn't get through the long-winded detached descriptions. The characters also fell flat. Didnt finish (maybe 1/3 complete?) before had to return.

Should I keep trying to finish it? The conservation on the podcast was especially intriguing...though I now know some things that will happen haha

All power to the subjective experience of the reader! DNFing is a sure sign of boredom. ^_^

Teresa wrote: "I got the audiobook from library. Wanted to love "Exit West" but couldn't get through the long-winded detached descriptions. The characters also fell flat. Didnt finish (maybe 1/3 complete?) before..."

Hahaha, I totally understand. There are plenty of books I've DNF because I just couldn't get through the author's prose. Though I would recommend giving Exit West another shot. Maybe it will be a better experience for you by reading the actual text instead of listening to the audiobook? It's such a short novel. Might as well finish it.

Exit West was shortlisted for the Booker Prize!

Booker Prize: Bookshop worker Fiona Mozley on shortlist
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainme...

My maybe-final review haha

I picked up "Exit West" a month or two ago when it was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize. I got through one-third of the book (on Audible, narrated by Mohsin Hamid) then gave up. Now that it's short-listed, I decided to give it another go. Surprisingly, the later portions are much more enjoyable and now I understand why the book has received critical acclaim (though, it is still not one of my favorites).

Hamid's prose makes the book. Take this sentence, for instance, "...but that is the way of things, for when we migrate we murder from our lives those we leave behind". Such a sentence says so much and evokes so much feeling, eliminating the need for explicitly emotional descriptions.

The novel allows readers to gain greater understanding and empathy for refugees. As a result, this novel has come at the right time--when there's increasing political opposition to immigrants and refugees.

The elements of magical realism was also quite enjoyable: the magic doors that allow Saeed and Nadia to jump from country to county, and the overall ambiguous nature of time allows their entire narrative to be told and maintain the concise nature of the novel (only 200 pages). I really, really loved the ending.

My main problems with the book are the characters, which lacked personality. Their backgrounds were very vague (though I understand that the point is Saeed and Nadia could be ANY refugee) and their dialogue is often sparse. The book is written in a detached manner and combined with Hamid's monotoned narration, the audiobook was almost unbearable. I would lose interest, become distracted and then have to unwind.

Overall, I will probably read the book a third (and final) time once I get the print edition. Maybe afterwards, I will bump the rating to four stars.

Insightful analysis.

thanks Alex!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts everyone! It's great to see more action on these forums. If you have any thoughts to share about this month's book please share them in September thread and we'll try to mention them on this month's discussion episode! =)