Only a Little While Here: A Novel
This prizewinning novel weaves together four animal odysseys in a poignant meditation on migration, displacement, and the inextricable human and natural worlds.

In Only a Little While Here, award-winning author María Ospina evokes a sensation birders know well-the gratification to be had through close, humble observation of nature. With characteristic grace and curiosity, Ospina trains our attention on the lives of four creatures: a south-bound songbird dazzled by city lights, an orphaned porcupine saved by human kindness, a loyal dog grieving the abduction of her human companion, and a determined beetle transported to a vast, unimaginable world. The surprising drama of their lives reveals the fragility and resilience of belonging, and what it means to create-or lose-a home.

Each animal's journey challenges us to confront the beauty and brutality of the world we shape around our non-human fellows. Along the way, the narrator models the intense interest needed to mend the rift between humans and animals, and celebrates their often-overlooked status as witnesses of our shared world.

Tender, meditative, and soul-stirring, Only a Little While Here is ecological fiction at its most inventive and heartfelt.
1147556445
Only a Little While Here: A Novel
This prizewinning novel weaves together four animal odysseys in a poignant meditation on migration, displacement, and the inextricable human and natural worlds.

In Only a Little While Here, award-winning author María Ospina evokes a sensation birders know well-the gratification to be had through close, humble observation of nature. With characteristic grace and curiosity, Ospina trains our attention on the lives of four creatures: a south-bound songbird dazzled by city lights, an orphaned porcupine saved by human kindness, a loyal dog grieving the abduction of her human companion, and a determined beetle transported to a vast, unimaginable world. The surprising drama of their lives reveals the fragility and resilience of belonging, and what it means to create-or lose-a home.

Each animal's journey challenges us to confront the beauty and brutality of the world we shape around our non-human fellows. Along the way, the narrator models the intense interest needed to mend the rift between humans and animals, and celebrates their often-overlooked status as witnesses of our shared world.

Tender, meditative, and soul-stirring, Only a Little While Here is ecological fiction at its most inventive and heartfelt.
18.99 Pre Order
Only a Little While Here: A Novel

Only a Little While Here: A Novel

by María Ospina

Narrated by Not Yet Available

Unabridged

Only a Little While Here: A Novel

Only a Little While Here: A Novel

by María Ospina

Narrated by Not Yet Available

Unabridged

Audiobook (Digital)

$18.99
FREE With a B&N Audiobooks Subscription | Cancel Anytime
$0.00

Free with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription | Cancel Anytime

START FREE TRIAL

Already Subscribed? 

Sign in to Your BN.com Account

Available for Pre-Order. This item will be released on March 31, 2026

Listen on the free Barnes & Noble NOOK app


Related collections and offers

FREE

with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription

Or Pay $18.99

Overview

This prizewinning novel weaves together four animal odysseys in a poignant meditation on migration, displacement, and the inextricable human and natural worlds.

In Only a Little While Here, award-winning author María Ospina evokes a sensation birders know well-the gratification to be had through close, humble observation of nature. With characteristic grace and curiosity, Ospina trains our attention on the lives of four creatures: a south-bound songbird dazzled by city lights, an orphaned porcupine saved by human kindness, a loyal dog grieving the abduction of her human companion, and a determined beetle transported to a vast, unimaginable world. The surprising drama of their lives reveals the fragility and resilience of belonging, and what it means to create-or lose-a home.

Each animal's journey challenges us to confront the beauty and brutality of the world we shape around our non-human fellows. Along the way, the narrator models the intense interest needed to mend the rift between humans and animals, and celebrates their often-overlooked status as witnesses of our shared world.

Tender, meditative, and soul-stirring, Only a Little While Here is ecological fiction at its most inventive and heartfelt.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940195632885
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication date: 03/31/2026
Edition description: Unabridged
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews