Nussaibah Younis: 'There is no contradiction between writing a work of literature and writing a page turner'
BY Alessia Quaranta
23rd Feb 2025
Nussaibah Younis was a student on our six-month London Writing Your Novel course in 2022 and the one-day The Rewrite Doctor course in January 2023. We caught up to discuss her novel, Fundamentally – out now from W&N and shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2025!
Read on to discover the inspiration behind Fundamentally and Nussaibah’s advice on balancing humour with sensitive subject matters in her writing.
You studied on Writing Your Novel – Six Months course in London 2022 and The Rewrite Doctor one-day course in January 2023. How did studying with us impact your approach to writing?
I gleaned some important nuggets of wisdom from the courses I did. My teachers advised me to totally change the opening of my novel, which was absolutely the right call. And they gave me permission to write a terrible first draft, just to get to the end of the story, and that was crucial for me. It turns out that the writing is in the re-writing.
Many of our students find lifelong writing friends on our courses. Are you still in touch with anyone you met on our courses?
My course mates and I still meet on zoom every week to discuss our ongoing writing, and I absolutely love it. Their support and feedback has meant everything to me, and has massively improved my writing.
For several years, you have advised the Iraqi government on proposed programs aimed at deradicalize women affiliated with ISIS. Your protagonist, Nadia, accepts a UN job in Iraq to rehabilitate ISIS women. What sparked the idea to use your own experience to write a work of fiction?
I realised that so many people have opinions about the ISIS brides controversy without understanding anything about the emotional truth of that experience. I wanted to give ordinary people a chance to get inside the issue and to really understand it.
Fundamentally is a witty and provocative novel, exploring themes such as race, religion, sexual politics and deradicalisation through a comedic tone. How did you balance the humour with the sensitive subject matter? And how did you find Nadia’s darkly comedic voice?
Working in war zones you get used to telling very dark jokes, it’s an important coping mechanism! It was important to me to write a book that was genuinely enjoyable to read. I personally love reading novels that make me laugh out loud! Balancing the humour with the more serious elements of the book was hard, and probably the thing I worked on the most. I asked my course mates for advice on some of the tricker elements, and they told me when jokes were undercutting the emotion of a particular scene.
What advice do you have for aspiring authors who want to shed light on difficult subjects but are worried their stories might not resonate with readers?
Don’t be afraid of coming up with a compelling plot. There is no contradiction between writing a work of literature and writing a page turner. I read How to Save the Cat and I filled my novel with plot and action. When you write an exciting story with plenty of momentum, readers can be swept along even if the subject matter has difficult elements.
What authors do you always reach for? Did any books help inspire you on your writing journey?
I love authors who write compelling and funny political and social satire. Some of my favourites include Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff and Scoop by Evelyn Waugh.
Finally, what’s next for your writing?
The novel has been optioned for TV so I am writing the screenplay right now. I have also been contracted to write a second novel, so I am also writing that!
Get your hands on a copy of Fundamentally.
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