"An original, moving, and gripping debut about an Irish lesbian who must grapple with her Catholic family’s campaign to have her deceased brother canonised as a saint"
Jay is a lesbian living in London, distant from her devout Irish Catholic parents, until they start to make progress on their campaign for Jay’s deceased brother Ferdia – a charismatic young man who had died tragically while training to be a priest – to be made into a saint. Jay is drawn back into her family relationships, her confusing upbringing, her beliefs and her grief, while trying to decide whether to oppose a campaign which actively condemns her queer existence.
I completely agree with one of the reviews on the back of this novel, that ‘sometimes I know that I’m going to love a book from the very first line’, and Ordinary Saints begins: ‘The first time I kissed a girl my brother died. I was sixteen and at a party in a big house overlooking Dublin Bay. My brother was in Rome, studying to be a priest.’
This novel stirs the murky depths of sibling rivalry and religious trauma, exploring the complexities of relationships between believers and supposed ‘sinners’ who love and hate each other. I know often publicity will say things like ‘you’ll laugh and cry!’ but with this book I really did do both.
Win Two Tickets to see To Kill A Mockingbird live on stage at Wyndham's Theatre
Closing date: 01/07/2026
*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?
Ordinary Saints features in the following genres: Books of the Month, Debut Books of the Month, Debuts, Recommendations, Star Books, Family Drama, General Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Literary Fiction, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Romance / Relationship Stories, Narrative theme: Coming of age, Narrative theme: Love and relationships, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss, Narrative theme: Identity / belonging, General Fiction, LGBTQ+ Fiction, Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church, Relating to LGBTQ+ people
Ordinary Saints is available in Paperback, Hardback
Ordinary Saints was written by Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin and published by Manilla an imprint of Bonnier Books UK
Ordinary Saints has 368 pages
£15.29
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