Nina X
Winner of the 2019 Saltire Society Award for Fiction
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Little, Brown Book Group
Published:4th Apr '19
Should be back in stock very soon
In a chilling narrative, a young girl raised in isolation by a cult confronts the complexities of freedom after her imprisonment. Her journey explores themes of identity, control, and resilience. Nina X is a powerful tale.
Nina X tells the gripping and unsettling story of a young girl raised in isolation within a Maoist cult. Nina has never experienced the outside world, nor has she interacted with other children. Her life is devoid of books, toys, and personal privacy, leaving her with a limited understanding of life beyond her confined existence. The only emotional connections she has are with the birds she glimpses through a covered window and the cult members who dictate her life, including Comrade Chen, who views her as a project rather than a child.
As Nina grows, she is subjected to strict ideological control, with her thoughts meticulously recorded in a journal that is frequently erased to maintain her ideological purity. This oppressive environment shapes her understanding of freedom, identity, and the world at large. However, everything changes when Nina finds herself in a new reality called Freedom, where the rules she has always known no longer apply. She must navigate this confusing and often perilous new world while reconciling her past with the truths she is beginning to uncover.
The narrative explores profound themes of control, identity, and the quest for personal freedom, all delivered with a blend of warmth and humor. Nina's journey of self-discovery and her struggle to adapt to a life outside the confines of her upbringing make her a compelling character, standing alongside notable figures in literature. Nina X is a thought-provoking exploration of the complexities of growing up in an oppressive environment and the challenges of finding one's place in a broader society.
Compelling. Chilling -- Lionel Shriver
Sensational. Like nothing I've ever read. A tour de force -- Ian Rankin
I think it's brilliant. I really enjoyed it. I found it very funny and often moving -- Alex Preston * BBC Radio 4 Saturday Review *
I think it's such an intellectually fair book. Refreshingly honest . . . moving. I'm very impressed -- John Tusa * BBC Radio 4 Saturday Review *
Fascinating . . . a very high concept book -- Oliver Jones * BBC Radio 4 Saturday Review *
Convincing, moving and successful. It's also extremely funny * Observer *
[An] amazing book. There are few writers left in Britain who have his ambition, vision and empathy. Nina is marvellous creation and this is an important novel -- Irvine Welsh
A parable for our times. His most brutal and innovative novel . . . his best to date. Challenging, horrific and visceral. Most importantly, apart from being humane and experimental, it is also deeply, deeply serious . . . Judges of Prizes take note -- Stuart Kelly * Scotsman *
Nina X is intelligent and demanding: a study of a mind-bending cult and the difficulty a survivor has in adjusting to the world of normality . . . you're not likely to forget it * Scotsman *
- Short-listed for Saltire Fiction Book of the Year Award 2019 (UK)
ISBN: 9780708899021
Dimensions: 232mm x 160mm x 28mm
Weight: 520g
288 pages