Mohsin Hamid's Exit West as a Transmodern Narrative of(f) the Limit

The purpose of this chapter is to read Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West as a narrative “of(f) the limit” since it illustrates the transmodern sensibility of conceptualising limits as spaces of both negotiation and exclusion. The main narrative thread of the novel centres on a young couple leaving their homeland at risk from war. However, Nadia and Saeed’s plotline is intercut with brief parallel narratives of other people’s stories around the world that share the same thematic concern with migration policy and social alienation as displayed in the main narrative strand. To this end, Hamid resorts to a narrative technique that evokes a sense of instantaneity, reminding us of the simultaneity of time and the interconnectedness among individuals across the planet. In certain respects, this ubiquitous way of envisioning reality is in tune with the main tenets of the transmodern paradigm. Thus, on the one hand, the novel seeks to transgress the limits of Eurocentrism, giving voice to those who are excluded. On the other, by conflating social critique, the use of technology and magic realism, Exit West slides between a realistic depiction and a fantasy tale as characters strive to construct their own identities and negotiate new opportunities.