Beth Golay

This is Marginalia.

I'm Beth Golbe.

I'm Beth Golay, and this is Marginalia.

Author Naeem Mir's new novel, Every Exit Brings You Home, follows Jack, a complicated protagonist living with many secrets of his own creation.

Jack is an immigrant from Gaza living in Chicago with his wife, Dimra, and he works as a flight attendant, all while serving as the president of his condo association, where a family of new residents shakes up the dynamic for all of the building's residents.

As Jack juggles his home life with the facade he's created for his coworkers, his past experiences in Gaza creep up in some unexpected ways.

Here's Naeem Murr, Every Exit Brings You Home.

Since this book is filled with secrets, I'm going to let you decide what to reveal during this interview.

So where did Jack's story begin for you?

How did his story come to you?

You know, the characters are so well-drawn and immediately pull you in.

And I want to talk about the setting that you just mentioned.

You know, we meet so many of these characters through condo politics.

I mean, talk about that as a setting.

You know, I was trying to figure out how to ask a question and I never fully got it formed.

But it felt like and maybe it's because of everything we're seeing on the news these days, whether it's what we're seeing happening in Gaza from our couches here in the United States or what we're seeing happening with immigration policy.

You were able to show a different perspective for the reader through this book, weren't you?

You know, we do find out pretty early that Jack hasn't been honest about some major things in his life.

We know when it comes to honesty with his wife and honesty with his coworkers.

You know, despite this, the reader is rooting for Jack and really, you know, every other character as well.