Exit West

In each chapter of this novel there is a separate scene featuring a character who has no obvious connection to the main narrative. What do you think is the purpose of these scenes? How do they help to illuminate Saeed and Nadia’s story? 

In Saeed and Nadia’s final home in Marin, there is a feeling that “the apocalypse appeared to have arrived and yet it was not apocalyptic” (215). What do you think is meant by “the apocalypse,” and what are some ways in which it has been accommodated? 

The magical doors in this novel are an obviously surreal touch. Are there some other things about this novel that strike you as surreal or futuristic? How do the doors reflect on some of the more ordinary features of this novel (for instance, mobile phones)? 

Early on in the novel, Saeed shows Nadia some art photographs of famous cities from which all signs of electricity have been removed. Looking at the photographs, Nadia cannot decide whether they look like “the past, or the present, or the future” (55). What do you think strikes her so much about these pictures, and how do they relate to her and Saeed’s story? 

Nadia wears a traditional long black robe throughout the story, even though she is not an observant Muslim, and even once she and Saeed have moved to the non-traditional environment of Marin, California. Why do you think that the robe is important to her? 

Saeed and Nadia move to three refugee camps over the course of this novel: first Mykonos, then a squat in London, then a shantytown dwelling in Marin. What are some differences between these camps? What are some discoveries that Saeed and Nadia make about living in these situations? Do you think that their attitude toward refugee living changes over the course of the novel?  

What are some ways in which the meaning of migrants and nativists changes over the course of the novel? How are Saeed and Nadia’s experiences in London and in Marin illustrative in this regard? 

How do Saeed and Nadia’s changing circumstances cause their relationship to change? What are some things that they discover about themselves and one another during their voyages?