Shappi Khorsandi

Shappi Khorsandi is one of the most recognisable faces of British comedy, performing all over the world and regularly featuring on TV programmes such as Mock the Week and Live at the Apollo. She has previously written for TV and published her childhood memoirs, A Beginner’s Guide to Acting English, about her early life in Iran and gaining asylum in the UK. Khorsandi has now turned her hand to fiction writing with her debut novel, Nina is Not OK.

Nina is a 17 year old girl with a drinking problem and low self-esteem. But, of course, she doesn’t see things that way. Nina and her friends find her drunken exploits hilarious and her mum is too busy with her new family to pay much interest.  But then one morning Nina wakes up and can’t remember anything from the night before, all she knows is that something very bad has happened to her and this time it’s not so funny.

Khorsandi's debut novel is a deep, powerful but very funny coming of age tale of a girl struggling with the loss of her father, addiction and peer pressure. Khorsandi captures a snapshot of life in the modern age, with her own unique brand of humour woven throughout.