Ordinary Saints

Beautifully written and brilliant on grief, love and family expectations. Wonderful. * Daily Mail *This debut is pretty perfect. It’s informative, original, heartfelt, very real, and stunningly written. * Irish Examiner *Stunning. A beautiful story about the awkward, often painful silences around dinner tables. A fresh, funny, honest portrayal of familial love. I adored it. * Louise Nealon, bestselling author of SNOWFLAKE *Funny and deeply moving. I adored it. * Chloe Michelle Howarth, author of Sunburn *An exciting new voice on the Irish literary scene. * Image *[An] inventive exploration of identity, faith and family. * Irish Times *A moving novel about 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. * The Bookseller - Editor’s Pick *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. * NB Magazine *A profoundly moving exploration of love, grief and faith written with such warmth and humour I both laughed and cried. Niamh is a remarkable talent. This is such an affecting, accomplished book that I still have trouble believing it is her debut. I devoured this wonderful book in a day. Without a doubt, Ordinary Saints is my book of the year * Hattie Williams, author of Bittersweet *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. * Jessica Moor, author of Hold Back the Night *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. * Victoria MacKenzie, award-winning author of Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain *Niamh 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 *An engrossing and absorbing read … Uplifting and absolutely gripping. * Rachel Dawson, author of Neon Roses *An outstanding debut. Delicately woven through with the threads of modern Irishness. Emotionally intelligent, hilarious, superb. * Soula Emmanuel, author of Wild Geese *Deeply emotionally engaging and profoundly thought provoking. A world I knew nothing about was opened up to me. A cracking great read; and one that stays with you long after you turn the last page. * Sui Annukka, winner of the Women’s Discoveries Prize *A clever, emotionally complex, and unfailingly generous debut, I found Ordinary Saints both deeply moving and utterly gripping. * Kate Young, author of Experienced *A fascinating exploration of religion, family dynamics and love in all its forms told in exquisite, crystalline prose. * Angela Chadwick *

Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin was the winner of the inaugural PFD Queer Fiction Prize and was also shortlisted for the Women’s Prize Trust Discoveries Prize in 2022. Her début literary novel Ordinary Saints was shortlisted for the 2025 Waterstones Debut Prize.