Lost in Nowhere: Examining Exile through Dina Nayeri’s Refuge

The given paper brings forth the broader theme of exile, dealing specifically with the Iranian exiles living in foreign land. The idea of exile and various experiences that an exile or an expat goes through is presented through a novel titled Refuge, written by Dina Nayeri who herself happens to be an Iranian-American author. Being exiled from her home at the age of eight, Nayeri verbalizes the notion of being torn between two cultures. Over the years, especially after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, a huge exodus of Iranians migrated to diverse European nations in the search of an asylum. Refuge narrates the tale of a family torn apart due to the unexpected exile of certain members of the family. The novel abounds in exilic characters and trials and tribulations that an exile faces in the „other' land which is not his/her home. This paper thus lays bare the complications that arise in the life of an exile as a result of being split between two cultures.