Exit West

Author: Mohsin Hamid

This is a beautiful tale of an unusual refugee couple.  While Mohsin does not name the country where the couple originates from, it is probably based, in no small part, to the turmoil in Syria. Exit West is about a young couple Said and Nadia. You witness them falling in love and trying to make a life for themselves in this big bad world. Escaping from their terror stricken hometown does little to solve their problems as they bounce around from one refugee camp to another.

At the outset you realize that Mohsin blends reality with imagination which gives the book a little surreal twist to it. Even though he throws in some humor and romance, the harsh reality of a refugee life is evident as you go from one chapter to another.  The book is a mere 230 pages with double spaced lines, so it is a small price to pay to learn and appreciate the hard lives of the millions of refugees in the world we inhabit.