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*WINNER OF THE INAUGURAL PFD QUEER FICTION PRIZE**SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE DISCOVERIES AWARD*An arresting, unmissable debut novel shortlisted for the Women's Prize Discoveries award - an exploration of family, grief, queer identity, and the legacy of the Catholic Church in Ireland.Can you imagine it? I'd say to them. Can you imagine me there in the front row in Saint Peter's Square? The lesbian sister of a literal saint.Brought up in a devout household in Ireland, Jay is now living in London with her girlfriend, determined to live day to day and not think too much about either the future or the past. But when she learns that her beloved older brother, who died in a terrible accident, may be made into a Catholic saint, she realises she must at last confront her family, her childhood and herself . . .Inspired by the author's own devout upbringing, Ordinary Saints is a brilliant debut novel from a fresh, exciting new voice which asks - who gets to decide how we are remembered - and who we will become?Praise for Ordinary Saints:'The best debut novel I've read in a long time. Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin is a writer of immense delicacy, perception and heart, drilling deep into questions of faith, family and love. A beautiful novel and a huge talent' Jessica Moor'Ní Mhaoileoin's writing has a real magic to it that hits you right from the first sentence'Okechukwu Nzelu'I both learnt - and felt - a lot reading Ordinary Saints. An intriguing, compelling and deeply original debut'Roxy Dunn, author of As Young As This
Publication Year: 2025
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Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Love Books Tours for my copy of this book.
I really liked the perspective of the main character in this book: a queer person raised in a Catholic household, without the strength of conviction that others around her have. While I wasn't raised in any religion, I attended Christian primary schools, and I remember deliberately putting my hands together "wrong", keeping my eyes obstinately open, and refusing to say amen at the end of each prayer. I never had any faith at all, and even at a young age, I couldn't bring myself to pretend. The overwhelming presence of Catholicism in Jay's childhood felt suffocating, but the way it was written didn't feel like a dig at religion. There were valid criticisms of the Church, but nothing reductive or unfounded, which I thought was excellent storytelling.
When Jay refused to partake in a particular church event, I was again taken back to events in my own life. As a trainee teacher, I was placed in a Catholic school, and alongside objecting to their homophobia, I was reprimanded for not participating in the community when I refused certain rites. As a queer person who's been on the receiving end of some pretty unpleasant things in the name of someone's interpretation of God, there are acts that I believe - like Jay - are not for me.
All of this being said, I am actually passionate about religion, and my aforementioned training was to become an RE teacher. I love considering faith and how it affects, shapes, and governs people's lives. This book was a fascinating insight into a process that we don't really think about very often, but it is still happening - look up Carlo Acutis if you're interested in modern canonisation (soon to happen, in theory!).
One more thing to mention is the character of Brian - messy, complicated, and so believable. His story was not a focus, but it was an interesting one nonetheless. The other side characters were largely irrelevant filler names to populate the world of the book, but Brian really added something.
This was a great book - an easy read, with an insightful storyline.
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