Download high-resolution image Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00

Fundamentally

A Novel

Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00
A wickedly funny and audacious debut novel following an academic who flees from heartbreak and lands in Iraq with a one-of-a-kind job offer—only to be forced to do the work of confronting herself.

When Nadia Amin, a witty and bighearted PhD, publishes an article on deradicalization, everything changes. The United Nations comes calling with an opportunity to put her theory into practice and lead a rehabilitation program for women caught in the crosshairs of harmful ideology. And why not? Abandoned by her mother and devastated by unrequited love, she leaps at the chance.

In Iraq, Nadia quickly realizes she’s in over her head. The UN is a mess of competing interests, and her team consists of Goody Two-shoes Sherri who never passes up an opportunity to remind Nadia of her objections; and Pierre, a snippy Frenchman who has no qualms about perpetually scrolling through Grindr. But then Nadia meets Sara, a hilarious, foul-mouthed East Londoner who was pulled into radicalism at just fifteen. The two are kindred spirits, and Nadia vows to get Sara home.

As the rehabilitation program picks up traction, Sara reveals a secret that upends everything, forcing Nadia to make a drastic choice. In the fallout, Nadia’s brown-savior fantasies crumble, leaving her to wonder if she can save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.

A fierce, wildly funny, and razor-sharp exploration of radicalism, family, and the quest for belonging, Fundamentally boldly inspects one of the defining controversies of our age and introduces a fearless new voice in contemporary fiction.
“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, New York Times bestselling author of Sandwich

“Funny, gripping and compassionate; Fundamentally is a truly original novel that you won’t be able to put down.”
—Dolly Alderton, author of Good Material
 
“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, author of Again, Rachel
 
“Absolutely hilarious: a Muslim Fleabag.”
—Michelle Gallen, author of Factory Girls

“Impossibly funny whilst darkly probing, Fundamentally is the whole package: a raunchy, irreverent, touching, and daring debut with slicing commentary wrapped in bold, biting humor. 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, author of The Bandit Queens

“Fascinating. Brilliant. Necessary.”
Salma El-Wardany, author of These Impossible Things
 
“Loved this. Laugh out loud funny, outrageous and thought provoking—a winning combination. Highly recommend.”
—Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange
Dr. Nussaibah Younis is a peace-building practitioner and a globally recognized expert on contemporary Iraq. She has a PhD in international affairs from Durham University in the UK and a BA in modern history and English from the University of Oxford. Dr. Younis was a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, where she directed the Future of Iraq Task Force and offered strategic advice to US government agencies on Iraq policy. Dr. Younis has published op-eds in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Guardian, and has provided on-air commentary for the BBC and Al Jazeera. She was born in the United Kingdom to an Iraqi father and a Pakistani mother, and currently lives in London. View titles by Nussaibah Younis

Discussion Guide for Fundamentally

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

About

A wickedly funny and audacious debut novel following an academic who flees from heartbreak and lands in Iraq with a one-of-a-kind job offer—only to be forced to do the work of confronting herself.

When Nadia Amin, a witty and bighearted PhD, publishes an article on deradicalization, everything changes. The United Nations comes calling with an opportunity to put her theory into practice and lead a rehabilitation program for women caught in the crosshairs of harmful ideology. And why not? Abandoned by her mother and devastated by unrequited love, she leaps at the chance.

In Iraq, Nadia quickly realizes she’s in over her head. The UN is a mess of competing interests, and her team consists of Goody Two-shoes Sherri who never passes up an opportunity to remind Nadia of her objections; and Pierre, a snippy Frenchman who has no qualms about perpetually scrolling through Grindr. But then Nadia meets Sara, a hilarious, foul-mouthed East Londoner who was pulled into radicalism at just fifteen. The two are kindred spirits, and Nadia vows to get Sara home.

As the rehabilitation program picks up traction, Sara reveals a secret that upends everything, forcing Nadia to make a drastic choice. In the fallout, Nadia’s brown-savior fantasies crumble, leaving her to wonder if she can save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.

A fierce, wildly funny, and razor-sharp exploration of radicalism, family, and the quest for belonging, Fundamentally boldly inspects one of the defining controversies of our age and introduces a fearless new voice in contemporary fiction.

Reviews

“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, New York Times bestselling author of Sandwich

“Funny, gripping and compassionate; Fundamentally is a truly original novel that you won’t be able to put down.”
—Dolly Alderton, author of Good Material
 
“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, author of Again, Rachel
 
“Absolutely hilarious: a Muslim Fleabag.”
—Michelle Gallen, author of Factory Girls

“Impossibly funny whilst darkly probing, Fundamentally is the whole package: a raunchy, irreverent, touching, and daring debut with slicing commentary wrapped in bold, biting humor. 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, author of The Bandit Queens

“Fascinating. Brilliant. Necessary.”
Salma El-Wardany, author of These Impossible Things
 
“Loved this. Laugh out loud funny, outrageous and thought provoking—a winning combination. Highly recommend.”
—Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange

Author

Dr. Nussaibah Younis is a peace-building practitioner and a globally recognized expert on contemporary Iraq. She has a PhD in international affairs from Durham University in the UK and a BA in modern history and English from the University of Oxford. Dr. Younis was a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, where she directed the Future of Iraq Task Force and offered strategic advice to US government agencies on Iraq policy. Dr. Younis has published op-eds in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Guardian, and has provided on-air commentary for the BBC and Al Jazeera. She was born in the United Kingdom to an Iraqi father and a Pakistani mother, and currently lives in London. View titles by Nussaibah Younis

Guides

Discussion Guide for Fundamentally

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Dear Librarians: A Letter from Nussaibah Younis, Author of Fundamentally

“When I think of libraries, a flipbook of memories flashes through my mind. My local – the one I grew up with – is Watsonia Library in the north-east of Melbourne, Australia. It’s a low white building plonked right beside a busy train line and directly underneath two enormous transmission towers. Not exactly a dreamy location, but for many years it was my favourite place in the world.”

Read more
  • More Websites from
    Penguin Random House
  • Common Reads
  • Library Marketing