Could you tell us a bit about Fundamentally - how would you describe it in your own words?
Fundamentally is a darkly funny satire about a UN program to deradicalise ISIS brides in Iraq. The novel follows Nadia, a heartbroken academic from London, who joins the UN in Baghdad only to find herself immediately out of her depth. But when Nadia meets Sara, a sweary and precocious ISIS bride who was radicalised at the tender age of fifteen, Nadia grows attached - and commits to saving Sara, no matter the cost.
What inspired you to write the novel?
I am an Iraq expert and was working in Baghdad for an international NGO when I was asked by the Iraqi government to design a deradicalization program for women affiliated with ISIS. The experience was maddening, fascinating, and totally bonkers - and I was desperate to unpack and explore it through fiction.
The story centres on the very real and complex issue of repatriation of ISIS brides. How did you approach striking the right balance between fact and fiction?
I anchored the novel in my real life experiences working in Iraq, so there is an authenticity to the story. Many UN workers have read the novel and told me how closely it reflects their own frustrations of working within that system. But in order to connect with an international audience, I wanted to focus on the experience of a foreign ISIS bride, rather than a local Iraqi one, so that led to some departures from fact. Most importantly, the story tells real emotional truths.
Fundamentally is in parts a sharp satire of the UN. Have any of your former colleagues read the book or reached out with thoughts?
My former colleagues just want to know which characters they are in the book, but the truth is - they aren’t in it!
The book challenges traditional narratives around radicalisation and brings much needed nuance to a heavily stigmatised subject. Were you ever concerned about how it would be received - particularly by political or media circles?
It was critical to me that readers developed a nuanced and empathetic relationship with the ISIS bride character Sara, whilst at the same time resisting the temptation to whitewash her, or to pretend that cases like hers aren’t incredibly complex. I think I got the balance right in the end, but I agonised over it a lot.
In a BBC Woman’s Hour interview, you mentioned that Sara "could so easily have been you" , a sentiment that Nadia also expresses in the book. Could you elaborate on what you meant by that?
When I was seventeen I studied with a cleric Sheikh Anwar al-Awlaki who I adored. He was charismatic and clever and I hung on his every word. A couple of years later he joined Al-Qaeda and was killed by a US drone. I feel very lucky that he never tried to radicalise me when I was a vulnerable teenager, and often wondered what could have happened to me if he had.
Humour plays a huge role in this novel - why was it important to bring comedy into such a serious and politically charged topic?
I love reading funny books! I’m absolutely delighted whenever a book makes me laugh out loud, and I wanted to deliver that experience to my readers. And although the subject matter of the book is not on the face of it funny, the reality is that all human experience have humorous elements, and I chose to place those moments front and centre.
You’ve studied at Oxford, Durham, and Harvard, and hold a PhD in international affairs - but also took a stand-up comedy course as part of your writing process. What was it like transitioning from academia to comedy?
I think stand-up comedians are some of the smartest people I’ve ever met. It takes real intelligence and quick-wittedness to be funny on stage, to react to an audience, and to make people laugh. I have so much respect for the art form. But for me, I prefer having lots of time to think about my jokes in advance, and to write them down instead of performing them!
What do you hope readers take away from Fundamentally?
I hope readers are really entertained and absorbed by the novel and that they really enjoy it - reading is supposed to be fun! I also hope they come away with a complex and nuanced understanding of the issue of repatriation and rehabilitation of the young women who joined ISIS.
What’s next for you? Do you see yourself writing more fiction, or returning to the political world in a new way?
Fundamentally has been optioned for TV, so I am currently writing the screenplay for episode one! I am also contracted to write another novel, so I will be working on that as soon as my book tour is over.
Can you describe your writing spot and routine for us?
I write on the dining table in my living room in North London, overlooking lots of back yards full of huge green trees. And I am constantly taking drags of my disgusting vape.
What books have you recently read and loved?
I loved Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon. It’s a smart, funny, and bonkers story about a pair of unemployed potters in ancient Sicily who try to put on a Euripides play. And for some reason it’s all in an Irish accent.
And finally, what is the one book you always find yourself recommending to others?
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin. It’s a hilarious novel about a woman who transcribes therapy sessions for a living, and who comes to recognise people in her local town by the sound of their voices. Such a brilliant and enjoyable read.
Grab your copy of Fundamentally here
