Nesting
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4.3 • 113 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
On an ordinary spring afternoon, Ciara Fay drives away from her marriage—and into an uncertain future.
With an armful of clothes, two young daughters in the back seat, and nowhere else to turn, Ciara makes a split-second decision that will change her life forever. All she knows is that home is no longer safe.
What begins as an escape quickly becomes a fight for survival.
With her savings running out, no job, and no family nearby, Ciara finds herself trapped in a broken housing system, raising her children from a cramped hotel room while struggling to build a new life from nothing. As summer fades and winter approaches, the pressure intensifies—and so does her husband Ryan's relentless determination to bring her back.
But leaving is one thing.
Staying away is another.
As fear, doubt, and uncertainty threaten to overwhelm her, Ciara must find the courage to keep moving forward and discover just how far a mother will go to protect her children.
Winner of the BBC Radio 2 Book Club Award 2026
Winner of the 2025 Irish Book Awards, Novel of the Year
Longlisted for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In this tense, beautifully written debut novel, Ciara, a mother of two and pregnant with her third child, isn’t safe in her Dublin home. On the surface, her husband is attractive and charming, but he blames, manipulates and controls Ciara until one day, on the spur of the moment, she leaves. Isolated from her family, who are based in England, and with little money, she must navigate raising her children in temporary accommodation, while also overcoming her own self-doubt, seeded by years of bullying and psychological abuse. Can she really reinvent her life—and at what cost? The depiction of the sacrifices required to try to start anew, as well as the risks such a decision brings and the love that underpins Ciara’s actions, is nuanced and deeply affecting. This powerfully emotional novel will leave you wondering how far you’d go for freedom.
Customer Reviews
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Loved it. Well written. Moving 🩷