Exit West by Mohsin Hamid is a book meant to provoke thoughts about the world and how societal judgment can affect a relationship. This book is about a country that is teetering on the brink of war when two young people meet and embark on a love affair in their unrest city. The book follows these characters as they emerge into an uncertain future, struggling to hold on to each other and themselves. This book tells the story of love, loyalty, and courage one must have at an uncertain time.
I decided to read this book because my school was promoting it as an alternative to classics that are commonly taught in schools today. While I think this book was beautiful, I don’t think it will be taught over classics because it just didn’t have a profound impact on me. It was a really good story and the perfect length for the tale, but I didn’t feel like it resonated with me like certain classics do. I do think this book is a good read and something to check out but not based on changing classics but rather as a book to teach students a more modern day. I would give this book three out of five stars because while it’s good, it didn’t wow me like I thought it would. I would recommend this book to anybody who enjoys stories of love in times of war and the challenges of war on certain societies.