Review- Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

Exit West on Goodreads

 BOOK SUMMARY:

In a country teetering on the brink of civil war, two young people meet—sensual, fiercely independent Nadia and gentle, restrained Saeed. They embark on a furtive love affair and are soon cloistered in a premature intimacy by the unrest roiling their city. When it explodes, turning familiar streets into a patchwork of checkpoints and bomb blasts, they begin to hear whispers about doors—doors that can whisk people far away, if perilously and for a price. As the violence escalates, Nadia and Saeed decide that they no longer have a choice. Leaving their homeland and their old lives behind, they find a door and step through. 

Exit West follows these characters as they emerge into an alien and uncertain future, struggling to hold on to each other, to their past, to the very sense of who they are. Profoundly intimate and powerfully inventive, it tells an unforgettable story of love, loyalty, and courage that is both completely of our time and for all time.

Release date: March 7th 2017

Published by: Riverhead

Page numbers: 231

REVIEW: 

How do I even begin writing this review? I remember I was completely floored by author Mohsin Hamid's writing when I read his The Reluctant Fundamentalist a few years ago. There was something very captivating about his writing and something very engaging about his storytelling that made me want to keep an eye on him as I was sure I wanted to read more by the author. So when I heard about Exit West, I did not even bother finding out what the book was about, but I got a copy for myself and began reading.

I was not prepared for the emotionally intense ride that was Exit West. In this book, Hamid begins with a very normal day in a very normal- albeit nameless- country, where two people, Saeed and Nadia, meet and keep meeting until the normalcy turns to crisis. With disaster striking their country and with the situation getting worse, they are compelled to move somewhere else through something called the "doors", which was the only fantastical- or as Hamid puts it "magical realism"- element in the book. This way, they keep moving through doors which take them from Greece to England to America.

While watching Hamid's interviews where he talks about Exit West, I noticed that what he insists on in each of them is that the book is not so much about how people move but more about what makes them move. And by move, he means leaving everything and everyone you know behind and just go somewhere hoping there is a better life there. Hence, the concept of these "doors" is not as important as compared to exactly why Saeed and Nadia take them.

What this book made me do is it made me understand the entire concept of refugees, immigration, migration and crisis that the world faces; which is something I was only vaguely aware of initially. I actually ended up doing heaps of research on this topic, and for me, that is a duty well done on the author's part because he created awareness and made me, as a reader, want to know more about the condition and situation that we are in right now. If could say one word to Hamid, it would probably just be a small but very true thank you that would come straight from my heart.

If you are looking for a light read and a book that makes you escape reality for a while, Exit West is not the one for you. The book hits you in the face with reality and is emotionally splendid.

Mohsin Hamid's interview with Wall Street Journal on YouTube

Buy the book: AMAZON

Waiting on Wednesday #267

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spines, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating. 

The Peacock Emporium by Jojo Moyes

Publication date- April 29th 2019 

Goodreads Summary: 

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Me Before You, After You, and Still Me, the story of a young woman who finds safe harbor after opening an eclectic shop as she reckons with the troubling mystery of her past

In the sixties, Athene Forster was the most glamorous girl of her generation. Nicknamed the Last Deb, she was also beautiful, spoiled, and out of control. When she agreed to marry the gorgeous young heir Douglas Fairley-Hulme, her parents breathed a sigh of relief. But within two years, rumors had begun to circulate about Athene's affair with a young salesman.

Thirty-five years later, Suzanna Peacock is struggling with her notorious mother's legacy. The only place she finds comfort is in the shop, The Peacock Emporium, a coffee-shop-cum-gift-store she opened, which provides a haven for other misfits in the town. There she makes perhaps the first real friends of her life, including Alejandro, a male midwife, escaping his own ghosts in Argentina.

But the specter of her mother still haunts Suzanna, setting off a chain of tragic events. Only by confronting both her family and the feelings she has disguised for so long will she be able to come to terms with the past. As she finds her footing, Suzanna discovers that the key to her history, and her happiness, may have been in front of her all along.

I have only read Jojo Moyes' Me Before You but hers are books I love to add to my collection and my TBR pile in turn. 

What are you waiting on this Wednesday? 

Teaser Tuesday #103

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along!

'The night that Jack lost the bet, Aldo's voice drifted to him as he lay on his bunk. 'You just do it, and then you put it behind you and never let yourself think about it', Aldo said quietly. 'Kind of like jail.'

-Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult

Goodreads Summary: 

Tall, blonde and handsome, Jack St. Bride was once a beloved teacher and football coach at a girls' school, until a student's crush sparked a powder-keg of accusation and robbed him of his career and reputation. Now after an eight-month jail sentence, Jack resolves to pick up the pieces of his life.

Since I am still reading this book, I thought I'd share another teaser from it. Besides, you know Jodi- her writing is incredible! What teaser have you shared? 

Blog Tour- The Sandbox by JW Patrick

Check out my stop on The Sandbox blog tour and enter to win a copy!

The Sandbox
by J.W. Patrick
Genre: YA Sci-fi
Release Date: October 2018

Summary:

What would you do? After a mysterious impact in the dry Oklahoma landscape, three teenagers discover a world where they can do anything they want. Anything at all: Play. Explore. Fly. Destroy. But as a ripple of consequences impact on reality, Sonny, Isla and Dan realise this is far from a game. Do they now have the power to change the real world? Because if they do, they know exactly what they want to do first. Dirt-poor Sonny Monroe blames the oil company that fracked his family ranch for his problems. Dan Hawk, a Native American from the Chickatawa tribe, has never forgotten who stole his native Homelands. Idealistic Isla Duncan, a Scottish Paralympian junior on a charity handcycle tour, would just like to make the world a better place. As the three teens attract global enemies and the killings begin, grave doubts divide them: Do they control this new-found power? Or is it controlling them? If so, what on Earth does The Sandbox want?

Purchase Links can be found here or Kindle

Excerpt from The Sandbox

“So what are you doing in Oklahoma? Isla Duncan from the Kingdom of Fife,” asked Dan, competing for her undivided attention. 

“I’m doing a sponsored handcycle for charity. The more miles I rack up, the more funds we raise. My dad’s driving my support van, a camper van, you guys call them RVs. He’s writing a book on the Scottish diaspora where all the Scottish emigrants ended up in America, so we’re visiting libraries all over. Tracing family names, contacting descendants. That sort of thing. Oh and our route takes in as many of the Wild West movie sites as possible. We’re driving down to Texas next.” 

“You a big Cowboys and... Indians fan, huh…” said Dan. 

She nodded hesitantly, “My dad is.” She threw him a sidelong glance, uncertain if that was OK or not. Dan busied himself nursing their nascent fire, neither judging her or letting her off the hook. Sonny returned to the cave mouth to watch nature’s spectacular demonstration of raw power outside, his eyes shining with excitement as he stood as near to the entrance as he dared. 

Settling on to the ground mat, tracing out the pattern of a glorious sunrise with her fingertip, Isla took time to assess her predicament. As her eyes became accustomed, she realised the cave was the size of a large basement, with a wide entrance and several smaller caves off-shooting in other directions, into ever deeper, darker areas.  

Sonny, hair rippling in the wind, grinned at Isla, but startled by a sudden, especially large gust, he staggered backwards, then quickly regained his composure to prove he wasn’t scared. No sireee. But Isla didn’t care.  

The incessant howling wind, and the intense whistling outside began to worry itself deep into Isla’s skin. She shivered — then looked up. Even the massive walls and ceilings of solid stone now seemed vulnerable. Each boy was trying to be brave but when one spectacular gust reached deep into the cave as if some invisible giant was groping for them, Sonny scurried back to join them by the campfire. Dan grinned at Sonny’s failure to keep his cool.  

Isla covered her ears from the incessant roar of the beast and stared at the cave mouth as if some horrific monster was about to burst inside at any second. Now the wall etchings of birds flickered in the firelight and she felt surrounded, and watched, by crows and by hawks. 

Dan shuffled closer to her and put an awkward arm around her back which she accepted gratefully and spoke in her ear: 

“This is quite unusual. A really big one!”  

“No kidding!” she yelled back, eyes wide with fear.  

“You couldn’t ask to be in a safer place though.” 

Isla didn’t seem at all convinced. Behind her back, Sonny and Dan exchanged another rapid-fire series of glances and expressions: 

Do something.  

What?  

I don’t know!  

You do something!  

No!  

You! 

“So what happened to your legs?” asked Sonny, finally. 

Dan rolled his eyes. Dude! How could you? 

What? What did I do? 

“Car accident when I was four. My mum died. It was me that killed her.”

About the Author
JW Patrick lives in Scotland and has written voice-over scripts for television in the UK and USA.

My novels include The Invincibles, The Sandbox

I most recently completed a non-fiction book called Why have Adventures? for parents of young teens exploring the benefits of outdoor education.

Author Links:

  

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Book Beginnings on Friday #27

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

Chapter 1

London

Summer, 1876

Someone was following her.

The uneasy awareness crept along the nape of Garrett's neck until the fine hairs stood on end. Lately she had the feeling of being watched whenever she went on her weekly visit to the workhouse infirmary.

-Hello Stranger by Lisa Kleypas

Summary-

A woman who defies her time

Dr. Garrett Gibson, the only female physician in England, is as daring and independent as any man—why not take her pleasures like one? Yet she has never been tempted to embark on an affair, until now. Ethan Ransom, a former detective for Scotland Yard, is as gallant as he is secretive, a rumored assassin whose true loyalties are a mystery. For one exhilarating night, they give in to their potent attraction before becoming strangers again.

A man who breaks every rule

As a Ravenel by-blow spurned by his father, Ethan has little interest in polite society, yet he is captivated by the bold and beautiful Garrett. Despite their vow to resist each other after that sublime night, she is soon drawn into his most dangerous assignment yet. When the mission goes wrong, it will take all of Garrett's skill and courage to save him. As they face the menace of a treacherous government plot, Ethan is willing to take any risk for the love of the most extraordinary woman he's ever known.

Review- Bleed Like Me by Azzurra Nox

 Bleed Like Me Review

BOOK SUMMARY:

This is how you draw a broken heart:
Dip your fingers in blood and don't
Hesitate to botch the final project.

This is a book about love and the wounds that it can bring. It explores the exhilaration of first love, the damage of unrequited love, and the distress of abandonment. The poems are little memories that come alive, a journey between reality and fantasy, often mingling as one. Fragments of life depicted in words. This is a collection of poems both cruel and sweet. The poems depict the difference between how we perceive ourselves and how others perceive us. But most of all, this is a kaleidoscope of emotions that are multiplied and amplified as the reader looks into the window of a young woman's heart.

Release date: February 12th 2019

Published by: Twisted Wings Productions

Page numbers: 303

REVIEW: 

I have previously read and thoroughly devoured Azzurra Nox's Doll Parts- which you haven't read, let me just quickly point out- is an absolutely incredible collection of three enticingly gorgeous and dark stories. I have also read the author's collection of horror stories written by female authors, titled My American Nightmare which has stories that are so eerie and dangerously dazzling that they will- as the title aptly suggests- give the reader nightmares. 

I don't normally read poems, but after reading these two gems, I knew I had to read Azzurra's poetry collection, which is a lovely blend of darkness and some amount of hope. Bleed Like Me is a collection of dark and deep poems, which if at all I read poetry, is exactly the way I want poems to be. So on a very selfish level, I savoured the collection. But I totally see how someone who looks for hope and brightness in poetry might find it to be rather average. What is not to be missed, however, is Azzurra's superb writing. 

Poetry is, of course, something you need to read and understand in order to decide whether you like it or not. Which is why, I am sharing a few lines from the collection that truly spoke to me: 

This is how you draw a broken heart; 

Drip you fingers in blood and don't 

Hesitate to botch the final project 

(from Paper Monsters) 

Puncture another vein, 

Watch the red blood stains. 

Varnish my nails with a scarlet hue, 

With every stroke, I feel new. 

Rip my eyes from their sockets, 

A queer fetish have in your pocket. 

(from Betrayed) 

Death is my trusty companion, 

For it knows of my desperation. 

Of my yearning to reach the end,

Before I even start. 

(from Unmotivated Soul) 

I would want to seduce you 

So that I could use you up. 

I would want to reduce you 

To tiny shreds of insignificance. 

I would want to deduce you 

From all my insanity. 

(from Butterfly) 

These are lines that I have shortlisted from a bunch of highlighted notes. Some of my favourite poems from the collection are: Ice Princess, Mademoiselle Elise, Princess Shadow, Marie Antoinette, For Eva Marie, Zura's Hysterical Realm Kills the Innocent and 60 Seconds. 

Bleed Like Me has poems about betrayal, heart break, lust everything in between. If you are looking for dark poetry that is easy to follow, then I highly recommend this book! 

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by Azzurra Nox in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

Buy the book: AMAZON

Waiting on Wednesday #266

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spines, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating. 

The Lemon Sisters by Jill Shalvis

Publication Date: June 18th, 2019

Summary-

The New York Times bestselling author of Rainy Day Friends and Lost and Found Sisters returns to Wildstone, California, where two completely opposite sisters—who are still nursing wounds from the past—realize they need each other more than they think.

When Brooke’s older sister, Mindy, shows up at her door with her three kids in tow, she barely recognizes her sibling who looks like she’s on the verge of a total breakdown. While adventurous, wanderlust Brooke was always the problem child, eager to slip free of Wildstone and its small-town constraints, Mindy was the golden child, who never had a hair out of place or a GPA below 4.0. The Mindy that arrives at Brooke’s apartment however, is a far cry from the ever-perfect doctor’s wife.

Brooke’s further stunned when Mindy asks to trade places with her for a few days so she can pick up her pieces and put herself back together. What Mindy doesn’t realize is that Brooke is just as broken. Her sister needs her though, so Brooke takes the kids and returns to Wildstone.

But how does one go home after seven years away and what feels like a lifetime of secrets? It doesn’t take long for Brooke to come face-to-face with her past, in the form of one tall, dark, sexy mistake. But Garrett’s no longer interested, or so he says. Only his words don’t match his actions, leaving Brooke feeling things she long ago shoved deep.

The sisters begin to wonder if the childhood taunts were true, are they lemons in life? In love? True or not, they know one thing -- you can’t run far enough to outpace your demons. And when long-dead secrets surface, they’ll have to overcome their differences and learn that sometimes the one person who can help you the most is the one you never thought to ask.