JAY (originally Jacinta, named after the child-saint of Fatima) was brought up in a devout Roman Catholic family in Ireland. Her older brother Ferdia — adored by all — was training to become a priest in Rome, but was killed in a freak accident when Jay was a teenager. Jay all but abandons her parents and leaves home for London, where she is in the early stages of a relationship with a girlfriend her family know nothing about.

And then comes a phone call from her father, who tells her that Ferdia is on the path towards possible canonisation. The process will involve exhumation, evidence of healing miracles, and an intrusive investigation into Ferdia’s life through the memories of his family and friends. The author — a gay woman from a devout Irish Catholic family — has said that the story was inspired by the case of Carlo Acutis, the Italian teenager who died of leukaemia in 2006, and was canonised last year.

“Can you imagine it?” Jay asks. “Can you imagine me there in the front row in Saint Peter’s Square? The lesbian sister of a literal saint.” And so begins a tender meditation on grief, memory, families, sexual identity, and religious faith.

The novel is gripping, as the characters are forced to navigate an extraordinary journey. Much of the time, the narrative is fuelled by rage against the Roman Catholic Church, but Ní Mhaoileoin avoids over-simplifying the issues. It is far more than a rant. The emotions of grief are explored in all their complexity, and she is particularly good at depicting sibling rivalry and its ramifications after a death.

The characterisation is strong. Jay’s parents — who begin the narrative as unsympathetic characters — become increasingly human as she lets go of her rage and allows herself to understand them. A tender and emotional debut novel, and beautifully written.

Sarah Meyrick is the Editor of the Church Times.

Ordinary Saints
Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin
Bonnier Books £9.99
(978-1-786-58425-0)
Church Times Bookshop £8.99