A Flat Place

In her book "A Flat Place," Noreen Masud explores the emotional and psychological effects of trauma on individuals and communities, particularly in relation to Britain's flat landscapes. Through a combination of personal narrative, poetry, folklore, and history, Masud examines the ways in which these landscapes shape our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 27 April 2023
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Noreen Masud's A Flat Place:




A Flat Place, a remarkable book by Noreen Masud, has been shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award 2024 and longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction 2024. It has also been recognized as the Book of the Year 2023, according to the Guardian, Sunday Times, and New Yorker.


This captivating work delves into the depths of Britain's breathtaking flatlands, encompassing locations such as Orford Ness and Orkney. Through her writing, Masud establishes herself as a significant chronicler of personal and national experience.


The Financial Times praises A Flat Place for its "sharp, subtle, and very moving" exploration of the flat landscapes. Robert Macfarlane describes it as "haunting and generous, beautifully written," adding that it is a "gift." Preti Taneja also highlights the book, calling it "a reminder that there is hope in the smallest of gestures."


Sara Ahmed praises Masud's writing, stating that she has always loved flatlands. Her earliest memory of a wide, flat field glimpsed from her father's car in Lahore is a testament to her enduring fascination with these barren, haunting expanses. As an adult in Britain, Masud has discovered many more flat landscapes to love, including Orford Ness, the Cambridgeshire Fens, Morecambe Bay, and Orkney.


These flatlands, with their bareness and haunting atmosphere, remind Masud of the flat place inside herself—the place created by trauma. Noreen suffers from complex post-traumatic stress disorder, a product of a profoundly disrupted and unstable childhood. This condition affects her emotions, blunts parts of her memory, and fills her world with anxiety.


In her quest for solace and belonging, Masud embarks on a pilgrimage around Britain's flatlands. She weaves her impressions of the natural world with poetry, folklore, history, and recollections of her own early life. Noreen's British-Pakistani heritage makes her a partial outsider in these landscapes, as she simultaneously holds the roles of colonizer and colonized, inheritor and dispossessed.


However, beneath the surface of these seemingly peaceful landscapes lies a darker reality. Violence lurks beneath the surface, waiting to emerge. Masud's writing explores the complexities of this relationship, highlighting the tensions and conflicts that arise from the collision of different cultures and histories.


A Flat Place is a powerful and thought-provoking book that offers a unique perspective on the flatlands of Britain. Through her writing, Masud invites readers to explore the depths of these landscapes, both physical and emotional, and to consider the complex histories and legacies that they contain.


This book is a must-read for anyone who appreciates fine writing, personal narratives, and the exploration of the human condition. It is a testament to Noreen Masud's talent as a writer and her ability to capture the essence of the human experience in a way that is both profound and accessible.

Weight: 352g
Dimension: 144 x 226 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780241544051