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BOOKREVIEW | FI CTI ON

ARefugeeCrisisinaWorldofOpen
Doors
ByVIETTHANHNGUYEN MARCH10,2017

EXITWEST
ByMohsinHamid
231pp.RiverheadBooks.$26.

Youownahouseorrentanapartment.Youlivewithyourfamilyorbyyourself.
Youwakeinthemorninganddrinkyourcoffeeortea.Youdriveacarora
motorbike,orperhapsyoutakethebus.Yougotoworkandturnonyourcomputer.
Yougooutatnightandflirtanddate.Youliveinasmalltownorbigcity,although
maybeyouareinthecountryside.Youhavehopes,dreamsandexpectations.You
takeyourhumanityforgranted.Youkeepbelievingyouarehumanevenwhenthe
catastrophearrivesandrendersyouhomeless.Yourtownorcityorcountrysideisin
ruins.Youtrytomakeittotheborder.Onlythen,hopingtoleave,ormakingit
acrosstheborder,doyouunderstandthatthosewholiveontheothersidedonotsee
youashumanatall.

Thisisthedreadexperienceofbecomingarefugee,ofjoiningthe65million
unwantedandstatelesspeopleintheworldtoday.Itisalsotheexperiencethat
MohsinHamidelicitsquietlyandaffectinglyinhisnewnovel,ExitWest,which
beginsinacityswollenbyrefugeesbutstillmostlyatpeace,oratleastnotyet
openlyatwar.Thecityandthecountryareunnamed,unlikethetwocharactersat
thestoryscenter:SaeedandNadia,ayoungmanandwomanwhosecourtship
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beginsinthismomentofimpendingcrisis.Theyarecosmopolitancitydwellerswho
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meetinaneveningclassoncorporateidentityandproductbranding,andwhose
firstdateisataChineserestaurant.

Hamidsenticingstrategyistoforegroundthehumanityoftheseyoungpeople,
whoseurbanity,romanticinclinations,upwardlymobileaspirationsand
connectednessthroughsocialmediaandsmartphonesmarkthemasnormal
relativetothenovelslikelyreaders.Atthesametime,heinsistsontheirdifference
fromreaderswhomaybeWestern.Theircityisbesiegedbymilitantswhocommit
terribleatrocities,evokingscenesfromMosulorAleppo.AsforNadia,shewas
alwayscladfromthetipsofhertoestothebottomofherjugularnotchinaflowing
blackrobe.ButwhilethisrobeseemstobeaformofconservativeIslamicdress,one
ofthestarkestsignsofdifferencebetweenNadiaandnonIslamicreaders,sheis
moredaringthanSaeed.Sheistheonewhooffershimmarijuanaandpsychedelic
mushrooms,andsheistheonewhoinitiatessex.Therobe,itturnsout,is
camouflagetoallowNadiatobeanindependentwoman.

ThebackdropforExitWestisboththeplightofrefugeesfromplaceslikeSyria
andthespecterofIslamicfundamentalismandterrorism.Hamidtakesfull
advantageofourfamiliaritywiththesescenestoturnExitWestintoanurgent
accountofwar,loveandrefugees.Politicsalsomattersasitdoesinhisothernovels,
whichlikewisedealtwithpressingissues:thetroublesofcontemporaryPakistan
(MothSmoke)9/11andthetensionsbetweenbeingPakistaniandAmerican(The
ReluctantFundamentalist)andnakedcapitalismandambitioninanunnamed
country(HowtoGetFilthyRichinRisingAsia).Throughouthisoeuvre,Hamid
envisionsaninterconnectedworldinwhichEastandWestinevitablymeetasa
consequenceofcomplicatedhistoriesofcolonizationandglobalization.Thedramas
andlovestoriesofindividualslikeSaeedandNadiacannotbeseparatedfromthese
histories,evenif,intheirownlives,thosehistoriesarenotnecessarily
preoccupations.Until,thatis,thosehistorieserupt.

Whentheydo,peopledie.Theydosooften,unexpectedlyandinviolent
circumstances.Hamidoffersafewincidentslikethis,andintheirsparedetailthey
areenough,aswhenNadiascousinisblownbyatruckbombtobits,literallyto
bits,thelargestofwhich,inNadiascousinscase,wereaheadandtwothirdsofan
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arm.Refusingtodwellonthemorbidityofsuchascene,Hamiddeclinestoturnthe
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destructionofthecityanditspeopleintoaspectacle,thewaytheywouldnormally
bevisibletothoseoutsidethecountry,watchingitsdoomfromadigitaldistance.
Examiningthedestructionataslightremove,Hamiddiscouragesreadersfrom
pityingthecitysresidents.Instead,focusingonSaeedandNadia,andremovingthe
particularitiesofthecity,thecountryanditscustoms,Hamidaimstoincreasethe
depthofareadersempathyforcharacterswhocanbe,orshouldbe,justlikethe
reader.Thereader,ofcourse,mustthinkaboutwhatwouldhappenifherown
normallifewassuddenly,unexpectedlyupendedbywar.

Mostlikely,thereader,likeSaeedandNadia,wouldflee.Theydosothroughthe
sudden,unexplaineddoorsthatappearthroughoutthecityandthatareportalsto
otherplaces.Whilethecityisunnamed,thesesitesofrefugearenamedGreece,
London,theUnitedStates.Intheirconcreteness,versusthedeliberatevaguenessof
SaeedandNadiascity,theycallforidentificationfromreadersofthenovelwholive
inthesekindsofdesirableplacesthattherefugeeswanttogo.Thenovelimplicitly
asksthesereaderswhydoorsshouldbeclosedtorefugees,whenthosereadersmight
becomerefugeesoneday?HowthesedoorsworkisnotHamidsconcern.Thedoors
canbemanifestationsofmagicrealism,fantasyorsciencefiction,orallthree,but
theysimplystandinfortherealitythatrefugeeswilltryeverydoortheycantoget
out.

WhathappensonceSaeedandNadiaarriveatthesepromisedlandsmakesup
thesecondhalfofthenovel,inwhichitseemsthatthewholeplanetwasonthe
move,muchoftheglobalSouthheadedtotheglobalNorth,butalsoSoutherners
movingtootherSouthernplacesandNorthernersmovingtootherNorthernplaces.
HereHamidsnovelrevealsitselftobeastorynotonlyofthepresentbutofthe
future,wheremigrationwillbethenorm.Dependingononespointofview,thisis
eitherterrifyingorhopeful.Wheneveryoneismoving,thenmobilitybecomes
normalratherthandisturbing.Whilethesemovementscauseunrestonthepartof
thenativeswhatHamid,inapostcolonialreverse,callstheinhabitantsofthe
hostcountriesthevisionthatheultimatelyoffersispeaceful.Afterthenativesget
overtheirinitialfearofstrangers,boththenativesandthestrangersdiscoverthey
arejustaslikelytogetalongasnot.Fromthismeasured,cautiousrecognitionofa
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mutualhumanity,thenativesandstrangersattempttoforgeanewsociety.
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3/11/2017 ARefugeeCrisisinaWorldofOpenDoorsTheNewYorkTimes

Thisgentleoptimism,thisrefusaltodescendintodystopia,iswhatismost
surprisingaboutHamidsimaginative,inventivenovel.Agracefulwriterwhodoes
notshyawayfromcontentiouspoliticsandurgent,worldlymattersandweneed
somanymoreofthesewritersHamidexploitsfictionscapacitytoelicitempathy
andidentificationtoimagineabetterworld.Itisalsoapossibleworld.ExitWest
doesnotleadtoutopia,buttoanearfutureandthedimshapesofstrangersthatwe
canseethroughadistantdoorway.Allwehavetodoisstepthroughitandmeet
them.

VietThanhNguyensdebutnovel,TheSympathizer,wonthe2016PulitzerPrizefor
fiction.HeisalsotheauthorofNothingEverDies:VietnamandtheMemoryofWar
and,mostrecently,thestorycollectionTheRefugees.

AversionofthisreviewappearsinprintonMarch12,2017,onPageBR1oftheSundayBookReviewwith
theheadline:PointsofNoReturn.

2017TheNewYorkTimesCompany

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