Nesting is the spectacular debut novel from @roisinodonnellwriter which follows Ciara Fay, mum to Sophie & Ella, as she tries to escape the torturous claws of the man who she once believed was her happy ever after. Handsome, charming & loyal, with a secure civil service job, surely Ryan Fay is the man of dreams? A model husband, until he gets behind closed doors that is.

I had seen the hype building for this one & to be honest, as someone without kids, I wasn’t sure I would fully connect with Ciara but Roisín’s writing is so realistic & visceral, that even within the first few paragraphs I felt the tension building in my chest. It is rare a novel will cause me to have such a strong emotional let alone physical reaction but as I was racing through the pages I felt everything from crippling fear to a screaming incensed rage.

While there is no doubt this is a particularly uncomfortable read, there is also such beauty within Roisín’s writing. While dark in itself, the story of the crow which runs concurrently, stood out as a particularly striking & haunting symbol of the erosion of Ciara’s freedom. Ciara’s unwavering resilience, along with the glimmers of hope that she finds within the walls of Hotel Eden give the reader some moments of relief throughout the bubbling palpable tension.

What I also found particularly terrifying about Ciara’s story, is that it is based in the reality of far too many women across Ireland right now. O’Donnell deftly shines a light on our country's shambolic & hopeless homeless crisis while also illuminating the terrifyingly hidden epidemic of coercive control. Through Ryan’s incessant abuse & insidious gaslighting it’s terrifyingly easy to see how many women question their own reality & if it is even that bad.

Harrowing & uncomfortable yet beautifully compelling, Nesting is a must read of 2025.

Thank you to @scribnerbooks and @gillhessltd
for my gifted copy.

🖊️Quick side note
Two books which kept jumping into my head while reading this were ‘How He Gets Into Her Head’ and ‘Not That Bad’. I would implore everyone to pick these two up if this topic interests you. Reviews for both are further down my grid.

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