When is a door not a door - when it's in Mohsin Hamid's novel - well, kind of. Mohsin Hamid's Exit West was the focus of the Tyneside Book Club's September meeting. The Booker shortlisted novel generated some good debate, and a lot of admiration, although not everyone was sure the novel was a success.
Much of the discussion hinged (sorry for the lame pun) on doors. Hamid's two main characters, Nadia and Saeed, meet in an unnamed city, but their lives disintegrate as war and terrorism gradually consume their homeland.
Members largely agreed that this opening section was powerful and moving, demonstrating the real horror of living with war and extremism. There was a real sense that any society could be plunged into that kind of crisis.
There was less agreement though about their escape route. The couple hear about doors that can lead to safety in other countries, They take one and end up on a Greek island. And it seems these doors are opening up all over the world, allowing instant travel.
Some members thought this was an effective device - allowing Hamid to dispense with the kind of harrowing journeys that most refugees have to endure, and then allowing him to focus on the repercussions of such easy mass migration. The doors may have been fantastical, but the repercussion of the migration mirrored much of what is happening today.
Others though lost some interest when the doors began opening up, and felt the departure from reality got in the way. And even some who understood the reason for their inclusion, felt the book did lose some power in the later sections, becoming more centred on ideas than characters. Some found the long sentences used off-putting, others though hadn't noticed.
Hamid eventually shows societies adapting to mass migration, with the novel in rather an optimistic vein, and for some this did demonstrate that communities will adjust after the initial upheaval. For others though the constant moving to different locations again led them to lose interest and engagement. Some were disappointed about the eventual outcome for Saeed and Nadia, but for others it demonstrated a realistic attitude to their changed circumstances.
The novel though was seen as timely and making a contribution to an ongoing and very contemporary debate.
Next month the group will discuss Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.
Much of the discussion hinged (sorry for the lame pun) on doors. Hamid's two main characters, Nadia and Saeed, meet in an unnamed city, but their lives disintegrate as war and terrorism gradually consume their homeland.
Members largely agreed that this opening section was powerful and moving, demonstrating the real horror of living with war and extremism. There was a real sense that any society could be plunged into that kind of crisis.
There was less agreement though about their escape route. The couple hear about doors that can lead to safety in other countries, They take one and end up on a Greek island. And it seems these doors are opening up all over the world, allowing instant travel.
Some members thought this was an effective device - allowing Hamid to dispense with the kind of harrowing journeys that most refugees have to endure, and then allowing him to focus on the repercussions of such easy mass migration. The doors may have been fantastical, but the repercussion of the migration mirrored much of what is happening today.
Others though lost some interest when the doors began opening up, and felt the departure from reality got in the way. And even some who understood the reason for their inclusion, felt the book did lose some power in the later sections, becoming more centred on ideas than characters. Some found the long sentences used off-putting, others though hadn't noticed.
Hamid eventually shows societies adapting to mass migration, with the novel in rather an optimistic vein, and for some this did demonstrate that communities will adjust after the initial upheaval. For others though the constant moving to different locations again led them to lose interest and engagement. Some were disappointed about the eventual outcome for Saeed and Nadia, but for others it demonstrated a realistic attitude to their changed circumstances.
The novel though was seen as timely and making a contribution to an ongoing and very contemporary debate.
Next month the group will discuss Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.
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