Exit West: A Novel
Pakistan

Exit West: A Novel

by Mohsin Hamid

Freedom & Resistance Fantasy Fiction Magical Realism 2017

Summary

Exit West follows Nadia and Saeed, two young people who fall in love in an unnamed country descending into civil war. As violence spreads through their city, everyday life becomes increasingly dangerous, and the couple begins searching for a way to escape. They hear rumours of mysterious doors that can transport people to distant countries, offering a possible route to safety. After passing through one of these doors, Nadia and Saeed find themselves navigating the uncertainties of refugee life in unfamiliar places, including Greece, London, and California. Their relationship changes as they adapt to new communities and confront the emotional costs of displacement. Blending realism with speculative fiction, Hamid explores migration, borders, belonging, and the resilience required to build a future after leaving home. The novel also asks how movement across borders transforms individuals and societies.

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Country
Pakistan
Asia
About the author
Mohsin Hamid
Mohsin Hamid

Mohsin Hamid is a Pakistani-British novelist and essayist born in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1971. He spent part of his childhood in the United States before returning to Pakistan and later studying at Princeton University and Harvard Law School. His life across different countries has shaped his exploration of migration, identity, globalization, and the shifting boundaries between home and belonging. Hamid gained international recognition with Moth Smoke (2000), a novel about class divisions and corruption in contemporary Lahore. His subsequent works include The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007), which examines identity and suspicion in the aftermath of September 11, and Exit West (2017), a speculative novel about two lovers fleeing their country through mysterious doors that transport people across borders. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, Exit West explores displacement, love, and the human consequences of migration. Hamid’s fiction combines political insight with experimental storytelling, questioning how individuals navigate a world shaped by inequality, cultural change, and global movement.

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Details
Published
2017
Author
Mohsin Hamid