When we first began reading Exit West by Mohsin Hamid in class, I was confused why Hamid decided to include magical doors that could lead an individual to a different country in his novel. I thought the presence of the doors took away from the seriousness or reality of the piece. Without the portals, the story could have been seen as more realistic, and readers would be more likely to see the real-world implications.
One day in class, though, about when we were halfway through the book, Mr. Heidkamp had us listen to Hamid’s explanation for why he included the doors. He explained how by having Nadia and Saeed, and all migrants in the book, find doors to walk through instead of journeying to their new destination, it forces the audience to focus only on the stories and lives of the migrants before and after the migration. If Hamid were to include the long and treacherous journey of migrating to a new country or even continent, half the book – or at least a short, action-packed section of the book – would have to document the journey, and readers would only sympathize with or perceive the characters through the lens of their journey.
I know many others shared the opinion I had when I first started reading this book: they feel that the doors make the story seem too magical or too unrealistic. But, I hope those people take the time to truly listen to what Hamid has to say about the portals. His explanation made me realize the true perspective of a migrant, and how the media on migrants today take away from the real stories and voices of millions. The media crafts a perspective of only just the journey of migration, stating things like “Boats of Hundreds Docks in Italy from Africa.” Instead, Exit West forces the audience to perceive Nadia and Saeed’s life, not journey.