Habitat by Catriona Shine
Habitat follows seven neighbours over the course of a surreal and life-changing week as their mid-century apartment building in Oslo begins to inexplicably break down around them.'Highly original … It's far to well-written and engaging to be depressingBut it is a tiny bit terrifying.’ Anne Cunningham, Meath Chronicle
‘Truly uncanny – a novel that marries the cosmic nightmare of Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! with the sociological portraits of Ken Loach. Chapter by chapter, in the face of forces that are undeniable and elemental, Habitat’s domesticated world of rules and regulations deforms itself into something unsettling and eerily recognisable. I’ve never read anything quite like it.’
-- Colin Walsh'Habitat is an uncanny fable of, and for, a disintegrating world - a bold and strikingly original debut from a sophisticated new voice in Irish fiction.'
-- Lucy Caldwell
‘In Shine’s uniquely surrealist set-up, our species is exposed as being unprepared for the massive challenges coming at us … A strangely compelling experience, then, one that cannily weds sound narrative structuring to a fanciful allegorical premise. It announces the arrival of an Irish writer whose work is refreshingly removed from the “literary debut” tropes in her homeland.’ Hilary White, Sunday Independent
‘An original debut … an intriguing parable about the destruction of our much larger habitat.’ Edel Coffey, The Gloss
‘A thrilling Oslo mystery … rich in satire, but also full of empathy.’ Alannah Hopkin, Irish Examiner
‘Catriona Shine’s outstanding debut novel Habitat marries its horribly compelling conceit with prose by turns taut and sumptuous, luminous and visceral … a total astounder.’ Juliano Zaffino
‘A wonderfully realised exploration of the way we live, enlivened by sharply drawn characters, great use of dark humour and an overall empathy for the human condition. It is a debut that stands out and marks Shine as a real talent to watch.’ Cathy, 746 Books
‘It’s a wonderful oddity when a debut novel is truly uncategorisable, trailblazing with no comparisons readily available … Shine is tapping into the zeitgeist here in Ireland’ Aimée Walsh, RTÉ
‘Bringing her own knowledge of building materials and her skill as a writer together, Shine has created a very unsettling and imaginative tale that really is quite frightening in our current environmental crisis … Habitat is a penetrating and striking novel, intelligent and convincing.’ Mairéad Hearne, Swirl and Thread
Catriona Shine grew up in Ireland and now works as an architect in Oslo. Her writing has appeared in The Dublin Review, Channel, Southword, Aesthetica, Hemingway Shorts, Nanjing Daily and elsewhere. She was awarded the Penfro First Chapter Prize in 2016, shortlisted/placed in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2023, the Sean O'Faolain Short Story Prize 2022, and the IAFOR Vladimir Davidé Haiku Award 2017. Habitat was longlisted for the McKitterick Prize 2022. She participated in the Irish Writers Centre's Evolution Programme 2024/2025 and was awarded a Hawthornden Fellowship in 2025.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781843518877 |
| ISBN 10 | 1843518872 |
| Title | Habitat |
| Author | Catriona Shine |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | The Lilliput Press Ltd |
| Year published | 2024-03-06 |
| Number of pages | 368 |
| Prizes | Long-listed for McKitterick Prize. |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |