Our feelings about housing are political, and a grasp of them is essential to solving the housing crisis – from the author of They Call It Love

Housing is more than bricks and mortar. The home is where our hopes and dreams play out, and it lies at the heart of our lives. This is where we rest, eat, and relax. The home we enjoy can determine our health, life expectancy, and day-to-day well-being. In contrast, the lack of a stable residence can lead to mental and physical illness and often premature death. This is central to how we conceive of a good and dignified life.

Feeling at Home grapples with the practical and emotional questions of housing – domestic labour, privacy, security, ownership, and health. Is it possible to imagine success without home ownership? Alva Gotby makes clear that solving the housing crisis is about much more than housing stock. It is about revolutionising our everyday lives and labours.

Reviews
Gotby is good at unpicking the contradictory positions of the Left and is great at observing the peculiarly British subplot in this global narrative ... The stratagems in this book put rational logic and utopia back in the mix.

Holly Pester, Frieze
A radical and refreshingly thoughtful study of housing, its effects on health and wellbeing, and the extent to which a home can dictate the quality of our lives.

Foyles, Top Ten Reads for January 2025
This is an insightful and necessary book by one of the most promising feminist thinkers working today. The analysis is sharp, accessible, and timely. The short, punchy chapters never outstay their welcome, and there is a wonderful diversity of approach which is impressive in such a short book. Feeling at Home is a vital resource for anybody interested in the ways we organise our domestic lives.

Helen Hester, author of Xenofeminism, co-author of After Work