Episode: Ep461: Omar El Akkad's new novel American War and Nordic short stories

Omar El Akkad's debut novel American War has won rave reviews in the states. In it he imagines a future America where the country has been ravaged by climate change and a second Civil War breaks out over fossil fuels. He talks to Mariella Frostrup about his dystopian vision. Also on the programme, Icelandic writer Sjon, and Ted Hodgkinson discuss their new anthology of short stories from the Nordic region, and best selling writer novelist Elizabeth Kostova reveals the book she'd never lend.