Of course, I understand it is a metaphor and the author employs the use of magical realism, but it didn’t quite work for me, and it did take away from the story somewhat. Now, I must confess this is the bit of the story I couldn’t quite get my head around – they escape through these ‘doors’ and do not know where they will find themselves. As Saeed and Nadia’s relationship develops, the fighting escalates, and they know they must escape or risk death. She says it is a form of protection, so we understand women are not treated with anything close to the respect they deserve by the patriarchy. Saeed is the son of a university professor and Nadia lives alone and wears a full black robe, despite it not being compulsory in their society. Written in the third person, Exit West tells the story of Saeed and Nadia who both live in an unnamed city where war has broken out. Hamid has the gift of writing beautifully stark prose that captures a moment in time in technicolour. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed Exit West, it didn’t captivate me as ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ had, but that’s not to say it’s not a great read. I was completely blown away by this author’s book – ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ when I read it about five years ago. It transported me to a different world, and I found it fully engaging.
The writing is elegant and the prose hypnotic. It is about friendship, love and jealousy and what happens when your boundaries are blown apart. This is a beautifully written love story about the devastation of betrayal and the importance of loyalty. The characters are well developed, and the descriptions of Paris made my yearn to visit the city I love so much. The story is narrated in the first person by Hadley which gives it a beautiful immediacy and poignancy. This is where the trouble begins as their glamourous life becomes more than a little complicated. After a whirlwind courtship they go to Paris where Ernest believes his writing career will flourish. They meet in the 1920s in Chicago and immediately form a strong bond. The Paris Wife is based upon the true story of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife Hadley.
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