Nest: A memoir of home on the move

by Catriona Turner

“After years of life-changing transition, how could I know what normal looked like any more?”
When Catriona Turner seized the opportunity to leave Scotland for a three-year stay in southern France with her fiancé, she had no idea that over a decade later, she would have moved on from the Pyrenean foothills to the bustling urban hills of Kampala, the dusty Atlantic beaches of Congo, and the flat suburbs of Denmark.
But adventure came at a price. Away from her career, raising children between international moves, Catriona lost her sense of direction. Alongside amazing travel, enriching new friendships, and unimagined opportunities, came family separation, an emergency birth, a political lockdown, and endless culture shock.
Lost in mental health struggles, she became a foreigner in her own home, and fumbled for a sense of purpose. But life on the move meant she had to confront her core belief about what it means to be home. And just when Catriona thought she had it all figured out, along came a global pandemic.
Scroll up and click 'pre-order' to immerse yourself in this story of a woman losing her way and finding home in herself.

Genres: Book Club

277 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 5, 2023

Reviews

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read ‘Nest’ mostly with a newborn napping on my chest, in the aftermath of a move to a new apartment 4 weeks prior. This was such a timely read, as it brought me comfort, excitement, and inspiration as I navigate motherhood and moving — two major themes of the book. For those navigating the same and wanting to read the wisdom of someone who’s been there before — and grown and found her own path — Catriona’s story will uplift and energize you.

[Dani Norwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was enthralled by this debut novel, a memoir of life on the move and finding a sense of home in spite of constant international address changes. As an expat, but someone who has never had the experience of being an accompanying spouse or being at the whims of a job placement, this memoir struck a perfect balance for me. I found so much I could relate to in terms of Catriona’s personal journey, including the ways she struggled to find her community and meaning in her life at each new address, but there was also so much that was unique about her experience to keep me intrigued to read on.

I highly recommend checking out this memoir! It’s filled with the adventures you would expect from a travel / expat story, but it dives so much deeper than that. Author Catriona Turner really opens up about the side of expat life that we don’t talk about enough, revealing mental health struggles and shining a light on the upheaval and loss of self that so often comes along with the beautiful adventures.

Nest is a well-written, heartfelt, deep, yet humorous account of finding home within yourself.

Thank you to the author for an ARC of this book.

[Paula Muckian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Nest was a truly unique experience for me. I met the author at a workshop, not knowing she was a published author. We exchanged numbers and when I saw in her contact information that she had recently released a memoir, I ordered it right away and had read 75% of it before we saw each other again. It was so strange to get to know a person in that way, before really getting to know her in person, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have had that experience, a first for me and quite possibly the only experience of this kind that I’ll have in my lifetime.

I admired the vulnerability and realness in Catroina’s writing - to genuinely put yourself, your thoughts, on paper for the whole world to see is simply amazing to me. Her tales of life abroad resonated with me as an expat myself, as did her tales of motherhood, marriage, family, friendships, and finding oneself over and over again.

[Mariam Ottimofiore · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insightful, evocative and inspiring debut memoir! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Nest and devoured most of it in one go. This book will resonate with anyone who’s ever left the comfort of the familiar and exchanged it for a life in the unfamiliar. Catriona Turner does a masterful job at showing both the opportunities and the challenges that a life on the move brings and is not afraid to talk about the messy bits in between either. My favorite part was the authors discussions and feelings around hiring house help when living in Uganda and Congo as I could completely relate as an accompanying spouse myself. Highly recommend for anyone who finds themselves caught in the transience of a globally mobile lifestyle on how to take charge of your story and redefine your concept of home. I was gifted an ARC of this book by the author.

[Stephanie Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this book down once I started reading it! As an expat myself, and an accompanying spouse, I was IN the story right from the start. 
Catriona’s beautiful descriptions and attention to detail brought her surroundings and inner struggles to life for me, and at times, I mouthed an ‘I see you!’ and felt like reaching out through the pages to give her a hug.
Expat life might look so glamorous and exciting for someone who hasn’t experienced an international move (or two! Or five!), and Catriona lets us in on some of the darker secrets and inner turmoil that accompany having a ‘home on the move’.
I enjoyed being guided through this big chunk of her life by her calm, heartfelt and honest words, which, ultimately, made me carry on writing my own memoir, and confirmed, once again, how important it is to share our stories, warts and all!

I can’t wait for her next book.

[Usha Sitaaraam · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an accompanying spouse, the loss of career and agency, the lack of control over my life, I can relate to so much from this Memoir by Catriona Turner.
It’s a book filled with anecdotes from a life on the move peppered with adventures,and travels. Including Making many new friends on the move and staying connected. At the core sits the emotional experiences , struggles and lessons learnt from this uprooting of an accompanying spouse. This is the person who most often is also running around setting things up and making a home in a different country and culture. Would sound familiar to many accompanying spouses on the move . How she finds herself in all this upheaval , is what the memoir talks about. A great read !!
I wish I had something like this before my move to UK.

Thanks to the author for providing me an advance copy of this book

[Shakti Hannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and relatable read about a woman making choices in life.
A woman who 'follows' her husband abroad and all the self-doubt that comes with 'giving up one's own carrier' but also the perseverance of someone adapting to new circumstances and in the process understanding her own qualities, needs and joys.
One of the parts in the book that really spoke to my own experience was the 'starting afresh' in a new place and finding and creating her own community. Also the 'going back home' and not wanting to intrude in others' space was very relatable.
I recommend this book for women who have experienced living in a 'new place. Enjoy the read

[Alayne McQuaid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nest is a fabulous book, thought provoking and well written.
As an expat « trailing spouse » I could relate to many of the situations and issues Catriona described, but she cleverly articulated some in a way I couldn’t have quite put my finger on until now, the core of which is « where is home? » once you leave the place you grew up.
I had the pleasure of meeting Catriona on her travels and look forward to following her work in the future.

[Dina Honour · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an expatriate, it's always fascinating to see where my own experiences intersect with those of other expatriates, but even more, where they diverge.

There were many, many recognizable emotions through Turner's Nest, from the feeling of losing yourself in move (and struggling to find that self again) to the recognition that investing in a new community every few years is exhausting.

What makes a home? Is it geography or memories or the things we carry from place to place? Catriona does a wonderful job piecing it all together while juggling two young kids and numerous international moves.

Life on the move is not always easy, or even enjoyable, but in Turner's case, it's one worth reading about.

[Stef · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some kid I knew, his mum wrote this book so I thought I’d read it

[Keri Bloomfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catriona is a beautiful writer and Nest is full of so many resonating themes for those of us that live or have lived abroad (or anywhere other than what we might have called 'home').

Working out what 'home' means is a conversation that fills my mind a lot, and whilst I'm not a 'classic expat' many of the themes within Nest resonate greatly for me. The importance of making a house, a home. Connecting with like minded souls and of course navigating all the cultural nuances along the way.

Expat or not, if you're trying to find 'home' or finding your place in a new land or city, then you'll love Nest. It's a beautiful authentic take on living a life abroad.

[Jessica Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Nest, Catriona tells the story of her expat life - not only her journey of moving from Aberdeen to France to Uganda to Congo to Denmark and back, but her experience of searching for connection as a woman, mother and wife while redefining these roles in other cultures. She explores themes of identity, belonging, autonomy, novelty, sense of self, uniqueness and culture. Catriona is a gifted storyteller that made me laugh out loud more than a few times. I connected to this story on so many levels, from culture shock to the paralysis of an impending move to accidentally becoming the parent association president, so many of these experiences are universal among expats. Nest is a beautiful story that anyone can looking for adventure and connection can enjoy. 5 stars!