Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis
Shortlisted for Women's Prize 2025
"By normal, you mean like you? A slag with a saviour complex?'
Nadia is an academic who's been disowned by her puritanical mother and dumped by her lover, Rosy. She decides to make a getaway, accepting a UN job in Iraq. Tasked with rehabilitating ISIS women, Nadia becomes mired in the opaque world of international aid, surrounded by bumbling colleagues.
Sara is a precocious and sweary East Londoner who joined ISIS at just 15.
Nadia is struck by how similar they are: both feisty and opinionated, from a Muslim background, with a shared love of Dairy Milk and rude pick-up lines. A powerful friendship forms between the two women, until a secret confession from Sara threatens everything Nadia has been working for.
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Chapters & Conversations is a space for fiction lovers to connect over great stories and lively chats!
Whether you’re into literary fiction, contemporary novels, or fantasy worlds, we’re here to explore it all together. We’re hoping to meet fellow bookworms who enjoy getting lost in a good story and are open to sharing thoughts, laughs, and recommendations.
At each event, we’ll dive into a chosen book, chat about characters, themes, and twists - above all, it’s about community, curiosity, and a shared love of reading!
Stasia and Yana:)
