Book tip

Exit West

Mohsin Hamid

“Exit West” made it onto all sorts of “Best Book of 2017” lists, and it’s now out in paperback, so you have no excuse not to read this affecting, briskly paced novel. It follows a young couple in an unnamed place (think Syria) whose ordinary lives drop into chaos as war disrupts their country. They flee, and that’s where things get a little unusual: the couple steps through doors that magically bring them to new locations. But the new places have their own trials. “Exit West” is nothing if not timely in its delving into refugees’ struggles, and Hamid’s character development is rich, and his writing is captivating.