Books from Iraq

Can you save someone else when you’re still trying to save yourself? When Nadia Amin, a sharp-witted academic, loses both her lover and her mother’s approval, she escapes to Iraq to lead a UN rehabilitation programme for women affiliated with ISIS. Armed with theories about deradicalisation and an uncertain sense of purpose, Nadia soon discovers that international aid is far messier than academic research suggests. Then she meets Sara, a rebellious young Londoner who joined ISIS at fifteen. Despite their radically different experiences, the two women recognise something of themselves in each other, forming an unlikely friendship that challenges Nadia’s assumptions about guilt, faith, and redemption. When Sara reveals a devastating secret, Nadia must confront the limits of her own idealism. Darkly funny and deeply compassionate, Fundamentally explores radicalisation, cultural identity, and the complicated human need to belong.