Nesting

A Novel

By: Roisín O'Donnell

Narrated by: 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

Critic reviews

"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

"Delicate and forceful, this is a novel of constant, intelligent suspense about a broken marriage with traces of danger in it. All its characters feel justly and vibrantly true, as its plot resists cliché at every turn. A rare and outstanding work.—Joan Silber, bestselling author of Improvement

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.

Great book, the voice is off putting though

The narrator is doing a good job but omg the voices of the kids are so annoying. Why would anyone read kids voices like this? Actually made me stop listening a few times..

Compelling story

Couldn’t stop listening. Intense insight into the world of an emotionally abused woman with children. Finding how to survive without monetary or emotional support.

Absorbing, heartbreaking, great narration

This book was hard to listen to, I was always on edge, but I plowed through, as did the protagonist. A really important read. And the love for her children - beautiful!

Just..damn

I am exhausted and exhilarated after listening to this novel. I wish I could get this into the hands of every single girl I know. The author’s depiction of the psychological abuse is just, well, perfect. It’s not a story for the faint of heart, but it is so beautifully written (and narrated), and such an important topic that I could not step away. I loved the ending. I’ll carry this with me for a very long time.

Painful audio

This review is not about the story, writing or even narrator’s skill. All these I think are quite good. It is about the uneven sound levels that made me stop listening. When the narrator speaks as the main character she has a low, and sometimes soft voice. But when switching to voice her children the audio level changes dramatically. It sounds like she is shouting, and is painful to my ears. Maybe the children in the story are in fact shouting, but it’s hard to listen to an audiobook when the sound levels fluctuate so much, and so frequently. It actually became annoying, and I had to stop listening because of this issue.

Well written survival story

This describes what it is like to be imprisoned in psychological abuse and how subtle it can be in marriage. The narrator was pretty good except for her children’s voices

So Close to Home

So many women will identify with this story. Not all abuse is physical. Emotional abuse and mental control are real! Using children as pawns is real! The painful exodus and finding the strength to recognize the danger and run is a story of courage many will understand. I felt every chapter… excellent read