Younis, Nussaibah - Fundamentally

Younis, Nussaibah - FundamentallyFundamentally Author: Nussaibah Younis Genre: Literary Fiction, Contemporary Pages: 336 Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson Release Date: February 12, 2026 Format: Mass Market Paperback Synopsis: A wickedly funny and audacious debut novel following a heartbroken academic as she lands in Iraq to lead a United Nation backed deradicalization program created to reform ISIS brides. When Dr. Nadia Amin, a long suffering academic, publishes and article in the

Fundamentally

Author: Nussaibah Younis

Genre: Literary Fiction, Contemporary

Pages: 336

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Release Date: February 12, 2026

Format: Mass Market Paperback

Synopsis:

A wickedly funny and audacious debut novel following a heartbroken academic as she lands in Iraq to lead a United Nation backed deradicalization program created to reform ISIS brides.

When Dr. Nadia Amin, a long-suffering academic, publishes and article in the best journal in Criminology on the possibility of rehabilitating ISIS brides she lands a coveted lectureship and is freed from the misery of adjuncting. The United Nations comes calling offering the opportunity to lead a deradicalization program for the ISIS affiliated women in the UN camps. Looking for a way out of London after a painful, unexpected breakup Nadia leaps at the chance.

In Iraq Nadia quickly realizes she’s in over her head. Her direct reports are hostile and unenthused to be taking orders from an obvious UN novice, her boss doesn’t provide direction yet demands results and to top things off there’s murmurs the concept of deradicalization is inherently unethical and possibly illegal. Frustrated by her situation and the unrelenting heat, Nadia decided to visit her camp with her sullen team comprised of goody-two-shoes Sherri who never passes up an occasion to remind Nadia of her objections to the program; and Pierre, a snippy Frenchman from a well-connected foreign ministry family who has no qualms blatantly and perpetually scrolling through Grindr. And who could forget Tom, the head of security who is the opposite of the heartbreaker Nadia is doing her best to forget.

At the camp, a clumsy introductory with the women who were curious enough to meet with the team is where Nadia meets Sara whose accent gives her away as a fellow East Londoner. From their first interaction Nadia feels inexplicably drawn to the rude girl in the diamante headscarf. She leaves the camp determined to get Sara home.

But the system Nadia is trapped in is a quagmire of inaction and corruption. One accomplishment—getting the sign-off to start the program doesn’t guarantee the women will ever be freed from the camp. And so, Nadia makes an impossible decision leading to ramifications she could have never imagined.

A triumph of dark humor, FUNDAMENTALLY asks bold questions—who can tell someone what to believe? And how does one save someone who doesn’t want to be saved?

LGBT Themes:

• Sapphic

Relevant Tags:

Fiction, Contemporary, LGBT, Religion, Islam, Literary Fiction, Queer, Adult, Humor, Middle East, Sapphic, Lesbian