Nuclei with proton and neutron numbers away from stability are known as exotic, and provide stringent tests of nuclear models, mainly developed for the description of stable nuclei. However, only the most extreme combinations lead to literally exotic structures, with sometimes unexpected properties. In this contribution we review some selected examples around the neutron dripline of very light elements: neutron halo structures with embedded substructures in the boron chain; the emission of neutron pairs in ^{16} 16 Be; and the existence of multi-neutron resonances in ‘superheavy’ hydrogen isotopes.