Nesting

A Novel

De: Roisín O'Donnell

Narrado por: Louisa Harland

In this beautiful, urgent, and ultimately uplifting novel by a rising Irish literary star comes a heart-pounding, life-affirming story about one woman trying to leave her marriage and start over.

On a bright spring afternoon, Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision that will change everything. Grabbing an armful of clothes off the clothesline, she 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—and that this time, when she leaves, she must stay away.

On the surface, she has a perfect life: her husband, Ryan, is a good provider, sometimes even kind and attentive, from a nice Irish family, and they have another baby on the way. But he also monitors Ciara's every move, flies into unpredictable rages where he convinces her she can do nothing right, and has isolated her from work, friends, and her beloved family.

Was fleeing the right thing to do? With no job and no support, Ciara struggles to provide a sense of normalcy for her little girls. Facing a broken housing system, they move into a hotel room on a floor reserved for women like her, eating takeout, washing their clothes in the bathroom sink, and building a community with the other residents. Ryan, meanwhile, wages a relentless campaign to win her back, and Ciara wavers. He never hit her, after all, and don't the girls need a stable home?

For fans of Claire Keegan and Louise Kennedy, Roisín O'Donnell’s extraordinary debut creates a devastating and suspenseful portrait of gaslighting and emotional abuse—and even better, a triumphant story about family, love, and finding a new place to nest.

©2025 Roisín O'Donnell (P)2025 Algonquin Books

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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 and Godshot","

"Nesting is a haunting, deeply affecting debut novel—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, Booker-longlisted author of How to Build a Boat

"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

Pay attention to reviews

I’m well into the story, and I’m so disappointed. When will narrators realize that a woman can’t perform a child, a man can’t narrate a woman and a woman can’t sound like a man. The narrator has an excellent voice. All she has to do is tell the story. But the constant interruption with the harsh, jarring “child’s” voice is almost unbearable. Fortunately, I didn’t waste a credit.

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A journey of struggle and resilience

At first, I was not sure I was going to get too far into this book. It was dark and depressing. I stopped and read others’ reviews and given they were so positive, I continued to listen. I am so glad I did. As I got into the story, I couldn’t put it down. Emotional, well-written. A stark story of abusive relationships and how difficult it is to extricate yourself. Well worth the time.

Many reviewers mentioned the narration of the children as being jarring or distracting. However, I thought it was well done. I found it fairly realistic how they will pull you out of your thoughts or away from tasks by their immediate need for attention.

Distracting voices

I would say the narration of the children’s voices was so distracting it took away from the overall story. Maybe it would have been better if I read the book instead of the audible version. I believe there are better books out there covering the same subject matter.

Struggles and Strength

This was a story of a mother and her two girls, an expecting mother at that, escaping a life of mental abuse and unhappiness. After being isolated from friends, being a stay at home mother, and a sister and mother living abroad, Ciara has to find a way to get out with only a few dollars she has hidden back. This is a story of struggle and never giving up or giving in. It's also a story of realization, strength, and becoming the person and mother you were meant to be.

Loved the book - very well written

I loved the book and most of the narration, apart from how the narrator did the children’s voices.

The main character feels like me- like my life.

The writing is utterly heartbreaking and breathtaking and I loved the setting and the main character and her bravery

I related to the main character

This story showed how mental / emotional abuse can affect a person as much as physical abuse.

Jarring narration at times

While I found the writing and storytelling to be top notch, the narration of the children’s voices was jarring and distracting. All other narration was lovely—almost soothing, in fact, despite the harrowing story.

Strong woman

I really liked the main character and the story was realistic. The story of the birds and care of the children by the husband was difficult to listen to.