Winner of the Saltire Literary Award Fiction Book of the Year

'Literary gold . . . Morrison has published his masterpiece' Sunday Times

'Sensational. Like nothing I've ever read. A tour de force' Ian Rankin

Nina X has never been outside. She has never met another child.
Nina X has no books, no toys and no privacy.
Nina X has no idea what the outside world is like.
Nina X has a lot to learn.

Nina X has no mother and no father; she has Comrade Chen, and Comrades Uma, Jeni and Ruth. Her closest emotional connection is with the birds she sees when she removes the plasterboard that covers her bedroom window. Comrade Chen has named her The Project; she is being raised entirely separated from the false gods of capitalism and the cult of the self. He has her record everything in her journal, to track her thoughts. To keep her ideology pure, her words are erased, over and over again. But that was before. Now Nina is in Freedom, and all the rules have changed. She has to remember that everything is opposite to what she was told, and yet Freedom seems to be a very confusing and dangerous place

'This moving tale of growing up in a Maoist cult, and the traumatic aftermath, explores ideas of freedom, control and identity with warmth and humour' Alex Preston, Observer

'Amazing . . . 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

'Compelling. Chilling' Lionel Shriver

About the Author
Ewan Morrison is the author of the award-winning novels Tales from the Mall and Close Your Eyes; the novels Menage, Distance and Swung; and the short story collection The Last Book You Read. Ewan was awarded the Glenfiddich Writer of the Year Award and the SMIT novel of the year 2012/2013.

Reviews
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 *


Awards
Short-listed for Saltire Fiction Book of the Year Award 2019 (UK).



Book Information
ISBN 9780708899007
Author Ewan Morrison
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Fleet
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 231g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 126mm * 26mm