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katiewhocanread 's review for:
Ordinary Saints
by Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For the record, I use Storygraph for brain dumps, not polished reviews. This one will be quite personal.
Some books about Catholicism feel very familiar - like the conservative evangelical church I found myself in as a young woman, just with a different coat on. And Ordinary Saints had its share of those. Not as many as I'd expected, but certainly a few gut-punch moments when the author expressed something from my own personal experiences.
Other things felt completely alien to me. For one thing, the whole sainthood shenanigans made me realise I am far too autistic for Catholicism! (I have nothing but respect for everyday Catholics - well, other than the ones who are Bad People - I just have issues with hierarchies. I don't even approve of official church membership being A Thing in other traditions. And various details I learned about here just make me add to my list of "well, I definitely don't believe that!" in my Deconstruction journey.)
And of course the Church has a lot of darkness in its history, and its present, which, while not being the main focus of the book, is something that faithful and unbeliever alike have to reckon with in their personal journeys.
Ordinary Saints is a book full of contradictions - as I think is inevitable for any story that tackles the tension between religion and queerness (and probably also an inevitable part of being human in the world whether or not one is religious, has walked away, or stands with one foot in faith and the other in doubt.) This is the book's greatest strength; it allows space for these contradictions in its characters. Rage and reconciliation. Unkindness and love. Forgiveness for the inexcuseable. In a word, grace.
Some books about Catholicism feel very familiar - like the conservative evangelical church I found myself in as a young woman, just with a different coat on. And Ordinary Saints had its share of those. Not as many as I'd expected, but certainly a few gut-punch moments when the author expressed something from my own personal experiences.
Other things felt completely alien to me. For one thing, the whole sainthood shenanigans made me realise I am far too autistic for Catholicism! (I have nothing but respect for everyday Catholics - well, other than the ones who are Bad People - I just have issues with hierarchies. I don't even approve of official church membership being A Thing in other traditions. And various details I learned about here just make me add to my list of "well, I definitely don't believe that!" in my Deconstruction journey.)
And of course the Church has a lot of darkness in its history, and its present, which, while not being the main focus of the book, is something that faithful and unbeliever alike have to reckon with in their personal journeys.
Ordinary Saints is a book full of contradictions - as I think is inevitable for any story that tackles the tension between religion and queerness (and probably also an inevitable part of being human in the world whether or not one is religious, has walked away, or stands with one foot in faith and the other in doubt.) This is the book's greatest strength; it allows space for these contradictions in its characters. Rage and reconciliation. Unkindness and love. Forgiveness for the inexcuseable. In a word, grace.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Grief, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization