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 ...

Exit West started strong for everyone at NUBClub. The core metaphor of doors that allow people to teleport was a very powerful symbol for the experiences of immigration and diaspora. There was a beautiful fable-like quality to the way that the doors were kept secret, shared, and used that formed a very compelling world. But about halfway through the book, about half of NUBClub dropped off. For those who got disenchanted, the issue was with worldbuilding. The author effectively painted himself into a corner with too many doors and too much travel, and those of us against the book felt that the plot became unwieldy and ridiculous as Hamid tried to maintain a consistent setting. Those of us who liked the book argued that the metaphor remained potent even if the world didn't make sense any more, and the plights of the characters traversing the doors stayed a powerful symbol. Our horns locked on this point, and while everyone could see where the other side was coming from, no one who didn't like the plot direction could forget its sloppiness, while no one who was moved by the fable could care about the plot holes. Overall, everyone agreed that the concept and start of the book was great, so differences about the ending only divided us between considering Exit West a decent or a good read.