Ordinary Saints cover art

Ordinary Saints

An unmissable, moving and funny exploration of family, grief and queer identity. Shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2025

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Ordinary Saints

By: Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin
Narrated by: Roisin Rankin
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What if you had escaped your devout family in Ireland to live your best queer life - then your brother became a candidate for sainthood?

An unmissable, award-winning, moving and funny exploration of family, grief and queer identity.

*SELECTED AS A RADIO 2 BOOKCLUB PICK*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE*
*WINNER OF THE INAUGURAL PFD QUEER FICTION PRIZE*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE KERRY GROUP IRISH NOVEL OF THE YEAR*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE DISCOVERIES AWARD*
*SHORTLISTED FOR TWO BOOKS ARE MY BAG AWARDS*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE KATE O'BRIEN AWARD*
*LONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY PRIZE*

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?

*A BOOKSELLER PICK OF THE MONTH*

'Beautifully written and brilliant on grief, love and family expectations. Wonderful'
Daily Mail

'A sparkling debut. Absolutely brilliant'
Sara Cox

'Stunning. A fresh funny, honest portrayal of familial love. I adored it'
Louise Nealon, international bestselling author of Snowflake

'Funny and deeply moving. I adored it'
Chloe Michelle Howarth, author of Sunburn

'Mesmerising and original'
Victoria MacKenzie, award-winning author of For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain Christianity Coming of Age Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Heartfelt Funny LGBTQIA+
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Critic reviews

Beautifully written and brilliant on grief, love and family expectations. Wonderful.
This debut is pretty perfect. It's informative, original, heartfelt, very real, and stunningly written.
Stunning. A beautiful story about the awkward, often painful silences around dinner tables. A fresh funny, honest portrayal of familial love. I adored it.
A moving novel love, loss and life's mysteries. As someone who isn't religious, I found the exploration of canonisation in the modern age fascinating and I think this will have wide appeal.
[An] inventive exploration of identity, faith and family.
An exciting new voice on the Irish literary scene.
Funny and deeply moving. I adored it.
A truly extraordinary exploration of relationships, grief, queerness, and its relationship with the Catholic church in Ireland . . . fuelled by such complex emotions which are unpicked so delicately and fully . . . so deeply worth reading and impossible to not feel some emotional connection towards.
Mesmerising and original, Ordinary Saints is quite a novel: an empathetic, heart-felt and nuanced exploration of the Catholic church in modern Ireland, queer identity, family and so much more. I absolutely loved it.
Ordinary Saints is 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.
All stars
Most relevant
The narrator did a great job with a range of characters and accents. Really enjoyed the writing. Couple of glitchy edits, but good production overall

Strong narration, good characterisation, clever story telling

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I love this story, brilliantly written and read. I couldn't stop listening through the heartbreak and joyful moments

Exceptional

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I loved the relatable family dynamics, the awkwardness of knowing you and your family are 'different' from your peers, the exploration of grief and the imposition of Catholicism in every private, personal moment, and how fervent belief creates a chasm between believer and non-believer. Really excellent book. I didn't like the girlfriend though, possibly because the narration made her sound very sneering. Top quality original debut, highly recommend.

An Explosion of Loss, Family, Self, Culture & Religion

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I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this. The premise of the book is unusual and thought provoking. A superbly written debut and a surprising, firm favourite for my book of the year 2025. I must also praise the narration performance of Roisin Rankin, superbly done! Highly recommended, without hesitation

A Great Listen & Interesting Debut!

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I love this book. The story is so beautifully told, moving gently between scenes in a way that allows different parts of the story to come alive at different times. The characters are complex and interesting. and the whole work is just so moving. Really recommend.

Incredible story so well written. Strongly recommend

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