Shortlisted for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction
A Times, Observer, Independent and i Paper Best Book of 2025.
Winner of the Comedy Women in Print Best Published Book Award
Winner of the Comedy Women in Print People’s Choice Award
Shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize
Shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize
Shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Readers’ Award
Shortlisted for the Sky Arts Breakthrough Artist of the Year
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.
“Funny, dirty and scathing truthful.” — Hanif Kureishi.
“Stunned me, moved me, made me laugh out loud.” — Pandora Sykes.
“Essential reading.” — Jonathan Coe.
“A breath of fresh air.” — Marian Keyes.
“Original, funny and fearless.” — Nina Stibbe.
Shortlisted for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction
A Times, Observer, Independent and i Paper Best Book of 2025.
Winner of the Comedy Women in Print Best Published Book Award
Winner of the Comedy Women in Print People’s Choice Award
Shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize
Shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize
Shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Readers’ Award
Shortlisted for the Sky Arts Breakthrough Artist of the Year
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.
“Funny, dirty and scathing truthful.” — Hanif Kureishi.
“Stunned me, moved me, made me laugh out loud.” — Pandora Sykes.
“Essential reading.” — Jonathan Coe.
“A breath of fresh air.” — Marian Keyes.
“Original, funny and fearless.” — Nina Stibbe.
