" 'Surely Tuam has enough bones already.' I say it very quietly but still my father flinches and I'm glad, satisfied to have landed a blow. Have they just forgotten it all, I wonder, in the excitement? Otherwise, how do they live with the idea that the saints can't be left underground because they're too precious, but the tiny babies of unmarried mothers can be left anywhere? "

Christ, this book was powerful and intense in the best possible way. It beautifully captured the challenges that modern Ireland is experiencing with the Catholic Church and traditional generations through the experience of one family. I couldn't get enough of it and completely devoured the entire book within a day. Filled with astute observations and powerful writing such as the quote I mentioned above, I can't recommend this book more - it is easily the best one that I have read this year based on impact alone and I cannot wait to read more from this author!

I love Irish fiction so this one was right up my street! Ordinary Saints brings a lot to the table exploring religion, sexuality and grief.

Jay is a gay woman who fled her troublesome relationship with her family and the Catholic Church to move to London. Her brother (the more favourited child) was reaching his goal of becoming a priest when he dies, this isn’t a spoiler. Jay learns that her family are starting the process of canonisation for her brother and with this Jay must face her family, the church and her troubled childhood.

I would definitely say this book is more character rather than plot driven. I really enjoyed parts of the book (specifically when looking at Catholicism and the history of the church) and there was an undeniable witty humour that ran through the book. There’s something special about books set in Ireland, they always feel so atmospheric to me. Jay was an interesting character, and Niamh’s writing was tender when discussing her childhood and struggles with feeling second best to her brother. I don’t know why but I struggled to fully bond with her and I felt like the book could have pushed situations further and explored deeper.

That being said this was a great debut novel and I will always recommend Irish fiction!

A great read. Being raised catholic myself I found that this book really resonated with me. Highly recommended.

‘Ordinary Saints’ by Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin is a deeply beautiful and cathartic read that touches on the complexities of grief, faith, and family dynamics with subtle warmth and humour.
The novel follows Jay, an Irish, ex-Catholic lesbian living in London, as she navigates the return of her parents' efforts to have her deceased brother, Ferdia, canonised as a saint. This unexpected development forces Jay to confront her past — her grief over her brother’s death, her fractured relationship with her devout Catholic family, and her struggle with the faith she left behind.

The novel's strength lies in its exploration of grief, not just in its raw, immediate form, but in the long-term, lingering impact it has on a person’s life. Jay’s journey toward understanding her family’s trauma and the quiet devastation of her childhood is rendered with incredible empathy. The author brilliantly balances the portrayal of Jay’s pain with a nuanced depiction of her parents. They are far from perfect, yet they are portrayed as sympathetic characters — people who, like Jay, are deeply affected by their own unresolved struggles. This complex portrayal of her parents offers a refreshing perspective on how difficult childhoods can shape, but not entirely define, familial relationships.

What makes ‘Ordinary Saints’ especially compelling is its exploration of growing up within a Catholic family, a theme that will resonate deeply with many readers, particularly those who have lived through the contradictions of faith, guilt, and community expectations. Jay’s return to Catholic rituals — like instinctively responding to “the Lord is with you” — is a poignant and relatable moment for anyone who has distanced themselves from a religious upbringing but still feels its lingering presence in their life.

The reflections on religion and the paradoxes within the Catholic Church are thought-provoking without ever being preachy or self-righteous. The novel raises important questions about faith, the contradictions within religious institutions, and how people can reconcile differing beliefs while still maintaining connections with loved ones.

Overall, ‘Ordinary Saints’ is a beautifully written debut that captures the messy, complicated, and often painful reality of family, faith, and loss. It’s thoughtful, enjoyable, and moving, It is a story about flawed characters and the difficult but necessary process of healing, making it a novel that will linger with you long after the last page.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Reading a book which is exploring the intricacies of profound grief for the loss of a loved one whilst experiencing a bereavement is, as it turns out, a bit much. This book explores the lasting effects of grief on individuals and on a family in a really beautiful and meaningful way. This, combined with the exploration of Catholicism in Ireland, the canonisation of new saints and the strained relationships of a queer family member makes for a book which allows the reader to reflect on their own shifting relationship with grief, religion and family. It is almost wholly character based but the time jumps from one moment in their lives to another just didn't feel naturally done to me.

An extraordinary and original book that isn't afraid to speak its clear truth. Jay is a lapsed catholic, gay and living away from her Irish family, still with unresolved feelings about her brother's untimely death when he was studying to become a priest in Rome. When Jay's parents become involved in efforts to make her brother a saint, Jay is forced to face her past and create a new way of living for her future.

The book explores a whole range of issues and ideas about family, about love and about how to find your own way to be in the modern world. Very touchingly put together, with real care for the many different characters, their beliefs and viewpoints, it examines an obscure subject but brings it up as a mirror to search for something more. A fabulous first novel, look forward to seeing more from the author.

Jacinta, named after one of the visionaries at Fatima, was brought up in a devout Catholic family in Ireland. She now calls herself Jay and lives in London with her girlfriend Lindsay, away from the oppressive presence of her parents. She is however, still haunted by a tragic event from her past. When she was a teenager, just tasting her first kiss from another girl during a party, her brother Ferdia, a young priest, died in a freak accident in Rome. Always the darling of her parents, he was also very close to Jay, and he remains a central and conflicting figure for her – on the one hand, he is a brother she loved and looked up to; on the other hand, he became a representative of a Church which she has abandoned in protest at its scandals and conservative outlook. Ferdia, therefore, is a subject Jay avoids broaching, even with her closest circle of friends (Lindsay included).

This, however, changes at the very start of the book, when Jay learns that Ferdia is being favourably considered for sainthood, with the Vatican looking into his life and writings for evidence of his “heroic virtues”. This prompts Lindsay to face her painful, long-avoided memories and, perhaps, to chart a course for her future.

This original and engaging debut novel, winner of the inaugural PFD Queer Fiction Prize 2022 and shortlisted for the Women's Prize Trust/Curtis Brown Discoveries Prize 2022, is based on a premise which may appear far-fetched but is well within the realms of possibility (as Jay repeatedly points out, “the last three popes have created more saints between them than all the others combined”, and some of these saints - or saints-to-be - lived recently enough to be well remembered by people who actually knew them or, as in Jay’s case, grew up with them).

Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin has a deft touch, and under the guise of an often humorous narration, she touches upon deep subjects: families, relationships, public v private memory, faith and religion. In Jay she has created a believable, down-to-earth and likeable character. She describes with poignancy a challenging situation where one’s life journey leads you away from a religion which, all things considered forms part of your upbringing. In Jay’s case, the scandals of the Church and attitude to same-sex relationships make her renounce the faith of her childhood and, because they are so intertwined, also lead her to abandon her country and family. Yet, hers is no easy decision, and the book’s conclusion, although hopeful, provides no facile answers.

I must confess that, being a practising Catholic myself, and of a frankly more conservative brand than the “progressive Catholic voices” Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin thanks in her acknowledgements section, I approached this book with much curiosity and some trepidation. Would this novel simply be a scathing send-down of the saint-making process? An anti-religious diatribe? Ordinary Saints is certainly critical of the Church and its priests, but it adopts a balanced, nuanced approach, with some thought-provoking questions about religion and faith which are as important to those who, like Jay, decide to leave the Church as to those who choose to remain. While I am always wary of identifying a novel’s narrators with their author/creator, I feel that the novel exudes a strong sense of authenticity and honesty borne of experience.

Ordinary Saints is all this, but can also be approached as a bittersweet, coming-of-age, coming-out novel. A great debut.

https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2025/03/ordinary-saints-by-niamh-ni-mhaoileoin.html

This is an amazing debut novel from Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin.

There is so much going on in this story but it is extremely readable and very entertaining.

Jay left Ireland and is living in London in a relationship with partner Lindsey. Not only has Jay left Ireland but she has left the Catholic faith, her old name and by and large her family. Against her better judgement, she agrees to return when her father calls for the anniversary mass of her brother who died over ten years ago.

Jay doesn't share her parents enthusiasm in their project to promote her brother's legacy and her frustration threatens to destroy the things she holds dearest in her life.

Original multi-layered story that is well worth reading.

This felt like a surprisingly cathartic read.

Jay is an Irish, ex-Catholic, lesbian who lives in London. Her older brother died when she was still a teenager and now her parents are finally getting some progress made towards getting him a sainthood. This brings Jay to finally deal with her family, Catholicism and grief over her brother.

While this book heavily deals with multiple aspects of grief and the long term effects it has, not just the immediate feelings it brings, I was actually surprised how much of this book is about just growing in a Catholic family. So much of it was so completely relatable. At times it was honestly hitting a little too close to home. But at the same time I really liked how well the author managed to make the parents feel like sympathetic characters. People who had to deal with their own trauma, people who should have been in therapy for years but the communities they were part of didn't really accept that as an option. I know how easy it is to put the whole blame on your parents, and I don't think this book ever tries to take away from what Jay went through. But I really liked the balance that the author manages to strike with this story. At one point Jay herself questions what would be the benefit of rehashing all the hurts her mother caused, the accusations she still has and the pain she still hasn't healed from. And I think that's such a big part of growing past those hurts, knowing that there's no healing in bringing them to the people that caused you this harm, that it won't change how you feel.

I thought it was a really impactful book, and I'm sure I'll come back to it many times again.

I really enjoyed this book. As others have said, being a child of a liar period also brought up in the Catholic faith, there was lots of resonance for me. But this story is far more than that. It’s about love, acceptance, family, grief and ultimately acceptance. Acceptance of ourselves and of others and that we all ultimately have to live our own truth. A wonderful celebration of love in all its glorious forms.

A tale for the modern lapsed catholic, Ordinary Saints is a sumptuous exploration of faith, memory, and the many manifestations of grief that follow Jay, a queer Irish woman living in London, after the premature death of her brother and her parents decision to put him up for sainthood. This novel is a captivating journey about disillusionment with the church, the legacy of its many dark crimes contrasted with the light of faith that many still cling to, and in the midst of it all a young woman grappling with her feelings about religion and her family as a whole. Poignant, insightful, and shockingly familiar, this book is impossible to put down.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this arc.

What a fab book!!! It was perfectly plotted with messy, tangible characters that I came to care for and resent (all at once). The book really hit home for me in a lot of ways making this a heavy read in a way I wasn't anticipating. I found the discussion and mother/daughter relationships to be very real and was very moved by the end. The ending wrapped up a bit too neatly for my liking (well, I suppose I liked it but I didn't really believe it). But honestly, it doesn't detract much from the rest of the book at all.

Also I love reading books by Irish authors that really feel like they're set here. Feels like coming home even though I haven't even left lol

This was an amazing book and had me hooked from page 1. We follow Jay an Irish catholic queer woman reflecting on the life and times of growing up in a devoutly religious family, to the present day quest for her brother Ferdia to be made a saint. Not that Jay agrees with that plan.
The difficult relationship described with Jay and her parents and her reflections on Ferdia were grounded and realistic. I don’t know very much about Catholicism so definitely had my eyes opened to a number of practices I would never have considered looking at independently.
The book looks at differing takes on grief - in the moment and how that changes over time.

I wanted this book to last forever.

I am not Catholic, but I am a queer woman who was raised in the Church of England, so a lot of the stuff around queerness and religion spoke to me on a very, very deep level. The quote "that's what you get, isn't it, when you build a church in the darkest pits of peoples despair" will sit with me for a very long time.

I absolutely loved how this book dealt with grief, both in its urgent, immediate moments, and in those moments years down the line. I also loved the questions of how we are remembered after death, and how that can be skewed.

I ate this book up in 2 days which is really quick for me, but I just related to Jay so much and I loved the voice that she had in this book. A real triumph.

It’s very rare to get a contemporary literary fiction novel that genuinely understands the sincerity and power of religious faith. Ní Mhaoileoin’s début—in which a lesbian thirty-something in flight from her emotionally cold Irish Catholic family has to reckon with the past when a process is set in motion to canonise her brother Ferdia, a deeply charismatic young priest dead in a sports accident at twenty-four—really does. Jacinta, or Jay, has lost her faith, and the pain and cruelty associated with the Church—not just to her, but the legacy of the Magdalene Laundries and the widespread rot of child abuse—comes through as clearly as you could hope. But you also understand what faith meant to Jacinta as a child, what it meant to Ferdia; what it means to her mother, drawn to the abstractest details of theology and determined to support the canonisation case, and her father, quieter but dedicated to his annual pilgrimage trips. Possibly Ordinary Saints’s greatest achievement is in its refusal to assign total blame or villainy to any of its characters. Yes, Jay’s parents seem unsupportive of her sexuality, neglectful and absent in her childhood, but there are reasons for their behaviour—not excuses, but reasons that make sense and make those characters real, not just cardboard cutouts labeled “Evil Zealots”. The text demonstrates, too, other ways of merging the conviction of faith with the truth of someone’s identity. Jay’s friend Clem, another queer character with religious parents, puts up with their discomfort about his sexuality more easily; when she asks him why, he replies simply that he loves them, and they love him, and they all just try to live with each other. It’s not signposted as a better way of coping than Jay’s, but it’s there for the reader to see as another option. (Minor characters are another of the book’s strengths. I loved the cheeky wit and the acknowledged pain of Brian Fallon, Ferdia’s best friend from seminary, whom Jay finds in London years later, or Lindsay, Jay’s philosophy-lecturer girlfriend, whose initial reaction to learning about Ferdia is hearteningly terrible and who, over years, does better.) Snap this one up.

I consider myself fortunate to have read an advance copy of this stunning book. A pleasure to read, with a masterful plot and pacing that features a group of endearing individuals. Queer joy and absorbing family drama are what pulled me in. I also gained a lot of knowledge about sainthood.

Being from an Irish Catholic family, Ordinary Saints was a book I could immediately identify with. I could easily evoke the smell of the incense, the prayers and rituals of the Church and so the relious life of the Devane family was easy to conjure up in my imagination.

The premise of the book drew me in: the call to canonise young Ferdia Devane who had died in a tragic accident whilst studying at a seminary in Rome. The writing is stunning and for the most part I was completely enthralled by the unfolding story and route to canonisation, which I found fascinating.

The author gives real depth to her characters and this is where I felt this book really came into its own. This was a cleverly written book as Jay's struggles were so real, and heartbreaking, yet I could also empathise with her parents who were so strongly influenced by the teachings of the Catholic church.

Highly recommended.

This novel was such a lovely surprise. I had no idea what to expect when I started it and was quickly drawn into the story. Jay, gay, living in London with a tight knit group of friends and a new lover, is a Catholic from Ireland with a brother who died in a tragic accident. Now her parents are trying to get him made a Saint. Jay is not sure if she wants to get drawn into this.

What follows is a story about how families and individuals deal with loss and it is deeply touching. I learned a lot about the process of making someone a saint and a lot about how different people are in coming to terms with sudden death.

It really was a pretty much perfect novel. Highly recommend

Over a decade after losing her brother, Jay is living an entirely new life in London, one that is deliberately as far away from the Dublin suburbs and repressive Catholic upbringing of her youth. But when she's contacted by a priest who is leading the campaign to try and get her brother canonised, Jay learns that however far you go, you won't escape your past until you face up to it.

"The first time I kissed a girl, my brother died," is an opening line for the ages. And the rest of the book more than lived up to the opening. I loved Ordinary Saints and can absolutely see why it's already prize-winning before even being published. One for fans of Oisin McKenna.

A thoroughly captivating and emotive read exploring themes of queerness and identity within the Catholic church. Gorgeous writing and storytelling that really packs a punch.