Mohsin Hamid – Exit West - Refugee Series # 5

                                                   

Saed and Nadia, the two fictional characters living in an unnamed city are the main characters in the novel by Mohsin Hamid. This book is introduced as part of the Books & Authors series in RR. The novel deals with the themes of emigration and refugee problems. Looking back at the series, I feel that I should have named the series as ‘Words without Borders’ From Mexico to Vietnam, from India to Pakistan, from America to Korea, this part of the series dealt with the theme of refugees. The struggles are the same and the emotions are universal. Saed’s and Nadia’s story is presented as a parallel to the love affair of Saed’s parents. The way the author describes the bonding between Saed’s mother and father is inspiring. “Saeed’s mother and father were both readers, and, in different ways, debaters, and they were frequently to be seen in the early days of their romance meeting surreptitiously in bookshops. Later, after their marriage, they would while away afternoons reading together in cafés and restaurants, or, when the weather was suitable, on their balcony.” The author also brings in the changes that happened in the neighbourhood “The cinema where Saeed’s parents met was long gone by the time their son met Nadia, as were the bookshops they favoured and most of their beloved restaurants and cafés”. The author describes the transformation that the city has experienced. “When walking by the arcade, and seeing that old name on its new neon sign, sometimes Saeed’s father, sometimes Saeed’s mother, would remember, and smile. Or remember, and pause.”