Title: Exit West
Author: Mohsin Hamid
Genre: Literary Fiction, Magical Realism
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
So you can understand where my (unpopular) opinion is coming from with Exit West...
My favourite genre is Fantasy/Sci-Fi. My next favourites are Historical and Literary (not romance versions of these genres).
So going into Exit West I was really hoping to experience a literary story about refugees with an interesting spin to it. The doors to random places in the world is a great idea when it comes to refugees just being plopped down somewhere random. It's likely what most countries refugee admittance systems feels like right now to many.
Certainly small amounts of fantasy/sci-fi can be added into a story that is very realistic and come out as superb. Station Eleven is always one of my favourite examples of this. I also think of The Alchemist and Life of Pi. Unfortunately Mohsin Hamid missed the mark for me on this.
Pick a Genre..?
When Hamid starts off the story it's clear that this is a refugee story that is all too true (and sad) for so many. The first 1/3 or so of the book has no magical elements in it and only rumours of these 'doors' that allow folks to escape. It's what I would expect from a book classified like this one. Raw, scary and intense bombing which results in many emotions for our lead characters.
Then our 2 lead characters go through a door and it's as though the story of 'escaping' Syria wasn't worth telling or Hamid doesn't want to bother with it. Instead he wants to focus on what it's like trying to fit into the 'new' country they have been put down in. This seemed a bit odd to me...
Feels too passive
I work with a lady who was 7 years old when her family fled Vietnam during the war to a refugee camp. They were put on a list, waiting to hear what country they would go to. She said it was agonizing to wait in the worsts conditions she's seen in her life. Luckily they were only there about 10 months before being cleared to come to Canada. I don't do her story justice at all, as the real meat of it and the grief she went through is so poignant I wouldn't want to tell it on her behalf. The biggest challenge wasn't learning English or immersing themselves in Canadian culture. Instead it was the actual night they fled on a small boat in pitch dark to arrive at a camp that was no better than a hole in the mud with a canvas roof.
Her story has always made me appreciate that it's not the shock of a new life that lingers with many but instead the scarring experience of leaving everything behind. By taking away most of the fleeing feeling in Exit West I think Hamid is taking away a critical part of any refugee story. It just doesn't feel right. It's too passive and (for me) doesn't do any one refugee's fleeing story justice.
Relationships & Characters
The focus of the story is actually our lead couple and their emotional experience towards each other during this time of strife. Unfortunately our lead folks were very flat and boring to me. I never felt like I truly knew or understood either of them. I had no emotional connection and at times felt I'd rather read the larger stories from the random 'one-off' people that Hamid writes about than actually read about our leading characters.
That is one thing I really enjoyed was the 1-2 page snippets of others living in this same world alongside our lead couple. Unfortunately I felt more connected to many of these people than to our leading ones.
Overall
Exit West misses the mark for me. It's too random and not real enough; and frankly boring. The magical doors are used as an excuse (in my opinion) to downplay the fleeing that refugees do and this just feels wrong to me. It takes away some of the fear and 'excitement', as well as downplays what is a critical part of any refugee story. I get that maybe Hamid is trying not to sensationalize the fear but I think it was taken too far and just made the story dull as our characters move from door to door.
I'd have rather read a truer account of a refugee's experience or read a more fantastical story. The attempt to bring a small amount of magic into this story is a flop.
I would recommend you pick-up a real refugee story or read a book more realistic in some of these war-torn and abused countries instead of reading Exit West. Having read a lot of WWII fiction I'm now looking towards books like Kite Runner (which I have not read yet) where they (seem to) have a more genuine look at more recent refugee situations. I recommend you also do the same and pass over Exit West.
Title: The Silver Music Box
Author: Mina Baites
Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
When I read the blurb on the back of The Silver Music Box I expected a story that jumped between the past and the 'present'. Initially I was disappointed that this is not how the story is written.
Organization
Usually organization of material is only relevant in non-fiction; however, Mina Baites has made it relevant in this book. The blurb will lead you to believe that you will be reading the story of a woman discovering her heritage for half the book. While technically you do read Lillian's heritage story; however, it's very misleading as that portion of the story is only the last 70 or so pages. I would have much preferred to read up to a point when many of our characters are separated in WWII, or Lillian is dropped at the orphanage (not a spoiler it's in the blurb). Then a second book could have been Lillian's story that discusses her origination and eventually ties her to our previous characters.
Main Story
I adored the main story and the way it was set-up to focus on chunks of time that are relevant. There are points where it may skip many years but it never felt like I missed out on anything important.
Additionally the main story is where the true value and morale behind the story of The Silver Music Box is pointed to. That morale is that: while events that may seem innocuous in the past they can become the reason something happens in the future. Baites shows us that karma is indeed true and that if you give something positive to someone you will receive positive back (albeit might take 30 years, lol).
The End Story
I'm calling the end story the portion where we move forward rapidly in time and find out the fate of our characters from the eyes of Lillian (the orphan). Instead of telling us the full story in the main story line we are instead told the ultimate outcome of our main characters as it it is told to Lillian, who is searching for answers about the music box.
I found this to be very unsatisfying. I had no vested interest in Lillian and just wanted to go back to the POV's that I loved. That of Paul, Lotte, etc. And while some of our characters do tell their own story to our future gal it's not near as satisfying as if I had read it in order and from their viewpoint like the rest of the book is written.
Overall
I loved the first approx. 350 pages. The transition over to the orphan in the future seemed unnecessary and annoying. Almost like Baites was told to quickly wrap things up and so to do that she rushes the last of the story in to a flashback.
I will certainly pick up Baites again. I really did love 75% or more of the book. I also adored the way a series of events created causality in the future. Karma can be a powerful thing and so Baites clearly illustrates that if you give to others they will (eventually) give back unto you or yours.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Title: Echo After Echo
Author: Amy Rose Capetta
Genre: Literature, Contemporary, Mystery, Romance
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
It's so rare to find a book where the main characters are LGBTQ and their love story isn't engulfed in stigma or cultural acceptance. For me what makes Echo After Echo so wonderful is that at its core it's a love story that is not contrived, forced or surrounded in stigma.
The Love Story
Perhaps this will not make sense to some, but I just have to say that for me (a bi-sexual woman), it is so refreshing to read a story where a woman falls in love with another woman and the basis of that love has nothing to do with discovering their sexuality, determining their 'preference' or even circumstance. Instead it's just an easy, natural love story. Whether it was between two women, two men, or a man and a woman it wouldn't matter. It's clear that Amy Rose Capetta has experienced true love and understands that it's not about what type of person you fall in love with but who. The actual person and personality of that person, not their sexuality. It has so much less to do with gender than most people are likely to understand. Capetta takes this knowledge she has and translates it to the reader in a natural and perfect way.
The Theatre
Having never had the desire to be an actor (of any kind) I was concerned that Echo After Echo would be too 'theater-y' for me. In the past I've read stories where knowing or caring about theatre culture or the culture of whatever niche group is involved have been all encompassing and made the book dull. That is definitely not the case here. While you may learn a number of things about the theatre including: auditioning, lighting, rehearsals, memorization, costuming, etc., the only really important thing to know is that this group of theatre folks is very close to one another, like family. I would compare the theatre portion of the book like the ballet in Black Swan, while important it could easily be replaced by any niche, professional group and the core story would not change.
The Mystery
I'm not big into reading murder mysteries and certainly that is not why I was interested in Capetta's story. However here the murder mystery side of the story, while very relevant to the overall plot arc and our lead gal's character development, is not the focus of the story. Whether you determine any part of the mystery out in advance is mostly irrelevant (until the last couple chapters). As at its core, Echo After Echo is a story of a teen acting on her dream and falling in love where love wasn't looked for and may not be safe to engage in.
Overall
I'd easily have give Echo After Echo 5 stars just for it's brilliant love story. However I can also say that at no time did I want to put it down, or avoid picking it back up. It's a solid read that I think almost anyone can enjoy. Because it hits on many different novel genres I believe there is something here for anyone that may want to find it.
I truly hope that many people pick this up without knowing it's a LGBTQ love story and find themselves suddenly enamoured with Capetta's brilliant story only to realize much later that the love story was between two women (and that maybe there was relevance to their lack of 'noticing'). Capetta has truly done her community justice by creating a love story that is irrefutable and genuine.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
