Nussaibah Younis’s debut novel Fundamentally follows Nadia, a young Iraqi woman navigating questions of faith, sexuality, and identity amid the turbulent social and political fabric of post-war Iraq. Running parallel to her story is that of Sarah, a British woman whose decision to join ISIS and travel to Mosul stems from her own misguided search for belonging and meaning. Through these intertwined stories, Younis explores the human need for purpose and the dangers of seeking absolutes in uncertain times.
What strikes me most about Fundamentally is Younis’s ability to balance serious, painful themes with gentle, ironic humour. Her writing captures the absurdities of daily life in Iraq in a way that feels both sharp and forgiving. She writes in a tone that is deeply Iraqi, wry but compassionate, bruised but unbroken. Having lived in Iraq until 2015, when a third of the country was under ISIS control, I found her depictions uncannily familiar. The checkpoints, the bureaucracy, the flicker of hope in every conversation, they all feel true, drawn from life rather than imagination.
Younis treats Nadia and Sarah as mirrors of one another, both seeking to define themselves in worlds that offer narrow paths for women. Nadia’s gradual awakening, questioning what it means to be a good Muslim, a good daughter, a free woman, feels painfully authentic, while Sarah’s journey serves as a distorted reflection of similar longings taken to a tragic extreme. In both arcs, the author refuses easy answers, allowing readers to see how faith and identity can be both sources of strength and prisons of expectation.
Her portrayal of international efforts in Iraq, especially UN programmes, resonates deeply. The portrayal of well-meaning professionals hampered by bureaucracy, miscommunication, and political compromise felt uncomfortably accurate. It reminded me of the years when UN agencies tried to impose solutions on a reality they scarcely understood. Younis writes of this dysfunction not with bitterness, but with weary clarity, as one who has witnessed the failures of good intentions firsthand.
What keeps the novel from sinking into despair is its narratorial rhythm. The prose flows naturally, textured with humour that glimmers even in dark moments. Younis has a gift for dialogue, her characters speak in a voice that feels lived-in, even when grappling with philosophy or faith. The result is a story that feels both intimate and universally human.
Fundamentally is not only a compelling debut but also a document of cultural self-examination. For readers who have known Iraq’s contradictions, its beauty and pain, this novel feels like a mirror held up to memory. For others, it opens a window into the personal struggles that survive beneath headlines and history.
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Nadia Mohammed
