Skip to Main Content

Nesting

The tender, soaring debut you won't be able to forget

By Roisin O'Donnell

About The Book
‘Brand-new, urgent and hugely satisfying’ RODDY DOYLE

'As emotionally charged as it is brutally real. The writing is flawless. I was profoundly moved’ ELAINE FEENEY

‘Will make your blood boil and your heart soar. This is an important novel' CLAIRE KILROY

‘Gorgeous, maddening, thrilling and compassionate’ SHEILA ARMSTRONG

‘Authentic, vivid and important… I read with my heart in my mouth’ UNA MANNION

_______________________________________________________________

An extraordinary and urgent debut by a prize-winning Irish writer, NESTING introduces an unforgettable new voice in fiction.

On a bright spring afternoon in Dublin, Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision that will change everything. Grabbing an armful of clothes from the washing line, Ciara straps her two young daughters into her car and drives away. Head spinning, all she knows for certain is that home is no longer safe.

This was meant to be an escape. But with dwindling savings, no job, and her family across the sea, Ciara finds herself adrift, facing a broken housing system and the voice of her own demons. As summer passes and winter closes in, she must navigate raising her children in a hotel room, searching for a new home and dealing with her husband Ryan’s relentless campaign to get her to come back. Because leaving is one thing, but staying away is another.

What will it take for Ciara to rebuild her life? Can she ever truly break away from Ryan’s control – and what will be the cost?

Tense, beautiful, and underpinned by an unassailable love, hope and resilience, this is the story of one woman’s bid to start over.

Advance reader reviews for NESTING:

‘From the first page, NESTING is addictive’ *****

‘A heart wrenching but hopeful read, I loved it’ *****

‘Not a word is wasted. This is the type of novel that will leave you feeling breathless’ *****

‘The writing is incredible, and it will stay with me for a long time’ *****

‘A truly inspiring book. More than a “story”’ *****

‘From the very first page, I was rooting for Ciara’ *****

‘A powerful story of survival, courage, and the strength of a mother’s love’ *****

‘I read it overnight. I could not put it down!’ *****

‘Beautifully written, I guarantee you will shed a tear or two’ *****

‘An unforgettable debut, this searing voice will mark your hearts and minds’ *****

‘I'm fairly confident this will be in my top ten books this year and I will be recommending it to everyone I meet’ *****

About The Author
Photo credit: Ruth Medjber
Roisin O'Donnell

Roisín O'Donnell is an award-winning writer. In 2018, Roisín won the prize for Short Story of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards, and was shortlisted for the same prize again in 2022. She is the author of the story collection Wild Quiet, which was longlisted for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize and shortlisted for the Kate O’Brien Award. Her short fiction has featured in numerous publications, including The Stinging Fly, The Tangerine and the Irish Times. Nesting is her debut novel. She lives near Dublin with her two children.

Product Details
  • Publisher: Scribner UK (January 30, 2025)
  • Length: 400 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781398528529

Browse Related Books

Raves and Reviews

‘Nesting is a powerful novel. Brand-new, urgent, and hugely satisfying’

– Roddy Doyle, author of The Women Behind the Door

‘A gorgeous, maddening, thrilling and compassionate book. Roisín O’Donnell so expertly captures the dull thud of dread and the frailty of hope. Nesting shows us that the quietest voice in the room can also be the most powerful’

– Sheila Armstrong, author of Falling Animals

'Nesting is a haunting, deeply affecting debut novel by Roisín O’Donnell – a gripping and unflinching exploration of coercive partner control, societal inequality, motherhood and the terrifying reality of a world closing in fast when you have no options left. An incredibly compelling tale of survival, it is as emotionally charged as it is brutally real. The writing is flawless. I was profoundly moved'

– Elaine Feeney, author of How to Build a Boat

‘O'Donnell presents as her hero a woman society has chosen not to hear, not to see. Nesting will make your blood boil and your heart soar, sometimes on the same page. This is an important novel’

– Claire Kilroy, author of Soldier Sailor

‘Clear, urgent and compassionate, Nesting will sweep you along, heart in mouth’

– Lucy Caldwell, author of Openings

‘Roisín O’Donnell tackles the unsettling cruelties and manipulations of coercive control with insight and emotional complexity. The voice is authentic, vivid and important. The final dedication to ‘anyone trapped in a place that does not feel like home’ says everything. Emotionally charged, psychologically nuanced and full of compassion and possibility, I read with my heart in my mouth’

– Una Mannion, author of Tell Me What I Am

‘Such a moving, heartfilled, urgent book’

– Jan Carson, author of The Raptures

‘Nesting is a triumph in empathy. This novel is achingly beautiful and utterly necessary. O’Donnell’s attentiveness to language shines from every page. A book to open eyes and hearts. O’Donnell imbues her characters’ circumscribed domestic space with a page-turning emotional urgency’

– Danielle McLaughlin, author of The Art of Falling

‘Nesting is a triumph of a novel. I raced through it. A beautifully crafted, unflinching portrait of the lengths a mother must go to to make a home for herself and those she loves'

– Louise Nealon, author of Snowflake

‘Nesting is a perfect portrayal of the insidious nature of intimate partner abuse where the bruises are not physical, but violently emotional. I fell in love with the voice of Ciara as she sets out to create a new life against all odds for herself and her children. A story of bravery, love, and redemption, chock full of emotional suspense – I couldn't look away. A high-wire act of a debut’

– Chelsea Bieker, author of Madwoman

‘Paced like a thriller, Nesting is a deep, beautiful, hopeful meditation on trauma, healing and love’

– Jessica Stanley, author of Consider Yourself Kissed

‘What an extraordinary debut! I clutched this book tightly as I read, and rooted for Ciara from page one. Nesting is an unputdownable story of love, courage and survival. I look forward to whatever comes next for Roisín O’Donnell'

– Mary Beth Keane, author of Ask Again, Yes

‘Such a beautiful and real portrayal of contemporary Dublin’

– Ana Kinsella, author of Look Here

‘A dazzling debut, pin-sharp in its depiction of the insidious hooks of behind-closed-doors coercive control. O'Donnell handles her heroine's pain and potential power with nuanced, page-turning aplomb. I was gripped to the end’

– Cristín Leach, author of Negative Space

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

Nesting

The tender, soaring debut you won't be able to forget

By Roisin O'Donnell