Nadia: A Novel

by Christine Evans

Nadia moves between the competing perspectives of two survivors of the 1990s Balkan Wars who have escaped to London, only to discover that the war has followed them there. Nadia is a young refugee who just wants to forget the past—until Iggy starts temping at her London office. Afraid he may be a sniper from the war she fled, Nadia starts seeing threats everywhere, alongside unsettling visions of her lost girlfriend, Sanja. As her volatile connection with Iggy unravels, Nadia is forced to face the ethically shaky choices she made to escape the war, her survivor guilt, and her disavowed queer sexuality.

Christine Evans's novel takes us to the recent past of a war that broke apart a European country and that presciently foreshadowed the rise of ethno-nationalism in the West. Tense, suspenseful, and mordantly funny, Nadia tracks the complex ways in which a past marked by political violence can shadow and disrupt the present.

Genres: Queer

Audible Audio

Published September 19, 2023

Reviews

[Natalie M · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up - I could not get into this one.

The horrors of the Serbian war are relived through Nadia, who as the reader I struggled to connect to her. The shifting then and now timeline was relatively well done, but at times it felt like it was being added for shock value.

Too many ghosts, too much tail chasing, sexual orientation was subtle but I’m not sure if it was needed. It really felt like a long read because of the coldness of the characters.

Others have given it four and five stars, so see what you think.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nadia takes place in two time frames. In London, after the Bosnian War, and during the armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the war. Nadia is a Muslim woman who is struggling with her identity as she was raised by a conservative Muslim family. Nadia has a strong attraction to and falls in love with a strong willed lesbian, Zara, during the war. Nadia's life in London is dull and boring as an office worker but this quickly changes as someone new joins the team. Nadia quickly realized he is not who he claims to be, but then again neither is Nadia.

Christine Evans creates a character that the reader feels deeply for in Nadia. As the narrative takes the reader back and forth in time from the conflict to the UK we uncover more about the struggles Nadia faced with her family, religion and sexuality. The author handles this with sensitivity even though a lot of the book deals with the brutality of war.

As Nadia comes to terms with her past and learns how to live in the present the reader is compelled to read on. The supporting characters are realistic, with doubts and fears, strengths and weaknesses, societal pressures, and problems with their jobs and love lives.

Nadia is a character and a book I won't soon forget. I would re-read Nadia to see what I missed or misinterpreted the first time. I encourage everyone to go their local bookstore and pickup a copy immediately.

[Virginia Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant craft ! Christine Evans' poetic precision enhances her deep personal research - in a rough and painful world of war and post-war trauma, she sculpts her characters with details that are always deep and never gratuitous. Her own musical background adds to her parsing and to points of view from all sides, all the prismatic emotional surges her characters must endure to survive. Bring your empathy - your heart will open with respect for survivors of all the world-wide wars. Evans is an amazing writer. She's written numerous innovative and award winning plays, a stunning novel set in her native Australia, "Cloudless,"- in verse! and now this - "Nadia" - buy it, read it, share it, discuss ! Great book club selection, men and women and all readers alike.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in two voices, one woman, one man, who are survivors of the Bosnian war in Sarajevo, and who are now both navigating the reality of refugee life in London.
Tense and suspenseful, it reads like a thriller in some parts. It’s frightening, with brilliant descriptions of the impact of sexual violence and the use of sex as a survival bargaining tool. This is how it is to make split second decisions about life and death in the face of snipers and traitors, starvation and destruction, the book inevitable prompts the question – what would I do in this situation?
The characters are credible and evoke empathy.
The integration of lesbian sexuality and descriptions of London queer scene gave it complexity.
A haunting and provocative experience. Well done, Christine Evans.

[Victor Bieniek Jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I bought this book for the title, as my daughter has the same name. And also, to support a local author (read local!). I enjoyed it. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, with no idea of what's going to happen next. It spans several countries and cultures, and explores some very dark injustices. Also, it's a stark reminder of how fragile our world is when fear and hatred take control. Very sobering in our current state of affairs. My favorite quotes are: "New country, new soundtrack" and "if you feed ghosts, the present starves and with it, this possibility of a future." "Why do they hold a war during our film festival."

[G.P. Gottlieb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nadia is a young Bosnian refugee who has lost everyone she’s loved. In 1997 she gets into England on a fake passport and finds temp work in a shady office that might be doing something illegal. A new temp named Iggy shows up and Nadia knows he’s from her country even though he says he’s Armenian. She can tell that he’s Serbian, perhaps the kind that hunted down Bosnians like her. Iggy thought he was just a musician until war came to Sarajevo, and he and his two bandmates were forced to join a paramilitary band of killers. Nadia sees danger everywhere.

I got to interview the author for the New Books Network. https://newbooksnetwork.com/nadia

[Katherine Vaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

You'll fall in love, as I did, with Nadia, her travails, her triumphs, her reminder that we never, ever know what is going on with a person, what he or she is carrying. The prose is gorgeously vivid, and while the tale of the Bosnian Wars involve horrendous violence that Evans does not shy away from, the struggle to find one's decency is at the heart of the story. There are no easy answers, no sentimental conclusions. A beautiful gem of a book about more than survival or identity; this is about the world in which we all must live.

[Beril · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the beginning, but as the book progressed, it got messier in writing and style, and the motions became repetitive. Enjoyed it overall.

[Lanie Tankard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's my review in THE WOVEN TALE PRESS:

https://www.thewoventalepress.net/202...

[Danice Guzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very well written and had a quiet suspense that kept me turning pages rapidly to find out what happened next.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written book, very evocative. The characters are compelling.