FundamentallyFundamentally
What it's about
Nussaibah Younis's wickedly funny debut follows an academic who flees heartbreak and lands in Iraq with a one-of-a-kind job offer, only to be forced to do the work of confronting herself.
Why it's worth reading
It was a finalist for the Women's Prize for Fiction. It's an audacious comedy about a serious subject.
You'll love it if you liked
Sorrow and Bliss
Home Fire
The SympathizerGood to know
It's funny and irreverent, with dark material.
By the numbers
- Readers46 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics25 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller8 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz72 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #202 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #293 of the 481 new books we rank
- #1690 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
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Quick answers
Is Fundamentally worth reading?
Yes. It was a finalist for the Women's Prize for Fiction. It ranks #1,690 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 66.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Fundamentally about?
Nussaibah Younis's wickedly funny debut follows an academic who flees heartbreak and lands in Iraq with a one-of-a-kind job offer, only to be forced to do the work of confronting herself.
How long does it take to read Fundamentally?
About 8 hours (336 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Fundamentally?
If you liked it, try Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason, Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie or The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen.