Skip to content

Nussaibah Younis Fundamentally

€12.50 €10.00

Sale
Code 9781399623940

A laugh-out-loud, unforgettable novel about ISIS brides, by debut author Nussaibah Younis

Add to Basket
Description

Binding: Paperback

Date Published: 12 Feb 2026

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION

'A NEW NAME TO WATCH OUT FOR' THE TIMES
'THE DEBUT OF THE YEAR' STYLIST
'ELECTRIC' GUARDIAN


A wildly funny and razor-sharp exploration of love, family, religion and the decisions we make in pursuit of belonging.
'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 fifteen.

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.

'Funny, gripping and compassionate' DOLLY ALDERTON
'Not only hysterically funny but trenchant and necessary. I loved it' INDIA KNIGHT
'A raunchy, irreverent, touching and daring debut' PARINI SHROFF
'Essential reading' JONATHAN COE
'A breath of fresh air' MARIAN KEYES
'Original, funny and fearless' NINA STIBBE
About the Author

Dr Nussaibah Younis is a peacebuilding practitioner and a globally recognised expert on contemporary Iraq. For several years, she advised the Iraqi government on proposed programs to de-radicalise women affiliated with ISIS. She studied at Oxford, Durham and Harvard Universities, and has a PhD in International Affairs. Dr Younis was a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington DC, where she directed the Task Force on the Future of Iraq. She has published Op-Eds in the Wall Street Journal, the Guardian, and the New York Times. She was born in the UK to an Iraqi father and a Pakistani mother, and currently lives in London.

Delivery Info

We provide FREE delivery in the Republic of Ireland when you spend €49 or more. 

FREE Click & Collect from The Ennis Bookshop. You will not be charged for this service.  We are happy to arrange Delivery outside Ireland. Please e-mail us at enquiries@ennisbookshop.ie for more information. 

Find out more about our Delivery & Collection services

Returns Policy

We want you to be completely satisfied with your order and we would hope to resolve any problems you may have. If you are unhappy with your purchase, we will exchange or refund the item or issue a credit note, providing the goods are not damaged and all packaging is still intact.

Terms and conditions apply.

Please view our full Returns Policy for further information.

Click to view complete product details

More Like This

Shockingly funny . . . It stunned me, moved me, made me laugh out loud * Pandora Sykes *
Impossible not to love * Caitlin Moran *
Fundamentally is a rare thing. A genuinely funny book about an attempt to de-radicalise so-called Islamic state brides in Iraq. Incredibly funny, it's a real page turner. A brilliant novel * Anita Rani, Woman's Hour *
I defy anyone to read it and not have so many laugh out loud moments. It's funny, it's clever, it makes you think. Heartily recommend * Fi Glover, Off Air *
Absolutely devoured this. Funny, smart and a truly compelling plot about rehabilitating ISIS brides * Cariad Lloyd *
Not only hysterically funny but trenchant and necessary. I loved it * India Knight *
I really, REALLY loved it - the voice, the setting, the plot, all of it. It's original, warm, funny and engaging. A breath of fresh air * Marian Keyes *
Extremely fascinating, extremely jaw-dropping - and extremely funny * Marina Hyde *
Trenchant, funny and fearless * Nina Stibbe *
So deserving of all the hype and awards. Brutally brilliant * Lauren Bravo *
Younis is a fantastic comic writer: caustic, pitiless, unafraid, with razor-sharp powers of observation. The book is laugh-out-loud funny, and many of the jokes, besides being hilarious, are jaw-dropping in their audacity... Fundamentally is certainly a wild ride, but besides being one of the most entertaining novels I've read in a long while, it will also leave you deeply moved and (incidentally) much better informed than you were before about one of the key political crises of our time. Essential reading. * Jonathan Coe *
A white-hot critique of international aid, with side-splitting prose * Nicola Dinan *
Wise, chilling and hilarious, profound and preposterous. The best book I've read this year on the joy, delusions, missteps and precious idealism of our interventions * Rory Stewart *
Tart, tender, trenchant, and hilarious, Fundamentally is a brilliant novel about faith and friendship that refuses to be any one single thing -- because it is EVERYTHING. Nussaibah Younis is a genius * Catherine Newman *
An absolute riot of a novel. The humour is so sharp you could cut yourself and the action does not stop. Underneath all that though lies some serious topics, deftly handled, and boy, did I get some of my own thinking challenged. Loved it * Jennie Godfrey *
I loved Fundamentally. I laughed all the way through . . . it's brilliantly done. It's impressive how the book combines elements of farce with such emotional depth and moral complexity. An incredibly accomplished debut. * Rebecca Wait *
I loved this. Laugh out loud funny, outrageous and thought provoking - a winning combination. The compassion at its heart is huge. Nussaibah's experience shines through the page. Best use of fiction I know, to educate and encourage empathy while entertaining the reader so much they don't realise. Highly recommend * Harriet Tyce *
Impossibly funny whilst darkly probing, Fundamentally is the whole package: a raunchy, irreverent, touching and daring debut with slicing commentary wrapped in bold, biting humour. It slyly and systematically rejects our swallowed concepts of heroes and who is correct, and posits instead the better question: what is right? * Parini Shroff *
Clever and thoughtful: passionate but clear-eyed, confronting but nuanced, enlightening and. . . very funny * Caroline Hulse *
Bold yet subtle, witty and constantly surprising: such an impressive debut * Charlotte Mendelson *
An utterly fascinating read. A brilliant book that compels you to turn the page, moves you emotionally, and makes you question everything you thought you knew. A must read. A deeply necessary book * Salma El-Wardany *
Absolutely hilarious - a Muslim Fleabag * Michelle Gallen *
Overflowing with humour, humanity and compassion. This is such a timely novel that teaches u

Close

POP-IN HTML goes here

Close

Your Basket

Your basket is currently empty