An extraordinary and urgent debut novel by prize-winning Irish writer Roisin O'Donnell, Nesting introduces an unforgettable new voice in literary fiction. This tender, soaring story explores one woman’s bid to start over while navigating a broken housing system and the fight to break free from control.

On a bright spring afternoon in Dublin, Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision, grabbing her two young daughters and driving away because home is no longer safe. Facing dwindling savings, no job, and her family across the sea, Ciara must navigate raising her children in a hotel room while dealing with her husband Ryan’s relentless campaign to bring her back. This is a tense, beautiful story underpinned by unassailable love, hope, and resilience.

Awards and Recognition

• WINNER OF THE RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB AWARD 2026
• WINNER OF THE AN POST IRISH BOOK AWARDS NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2025
• LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2025
• THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES & IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER
• A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK AT BEDTIME
• A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK
• AN OBSERVER BEST DEBUT NOVELIST OF 2025

Critical Praise

• 'Tense, forensically realistic and compulsively readable. A real achievement' – SUNDAY TIMES
• ‘Here is a novelist who has powerful news to tell, and an impressive range of narrative gifts with which to tell it’ – IRISH TIMES
• 'A moving portrait of life inside the housing system and the courage it takes to try to build a home in society’s cracks' – GUARDIAN

Specifications

• Author: O'Donnell, Roisin
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Print Length: 400 pages
• Publication Date: December 11, 2025
• Publisher: Scribner UK
• ISBN-10: 1398528560
• ISBN-13: 978-1398528567
• Dimensions: 130 x 198 mm (Approx. 13 x 19.8 cm)
• Weight: 385g

Discover the compelling narrative of one woman's fight for independence and safety in this highly acclaimed work of Women's Literary Fiction.