Jess Reviews: All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O'Donoghue

I used to be a big reader of young adult fiction but recently I haven’t been engaging much more with new titles. I think I was waiting for something to grip me enough to burst its way in at the top of my ‘to read’ list, and ‘All Our Hidden Gifts’ managed this. The short blurb is this: Maeve’s ex-friend Lily has gone missing without a trace, and Maeve is starting to think it has something to do with her strangely accurate tarot readings - and the mysterious Housekeeper card Lily drew before she disappeared. The premise combines mystery, magic, and intrigue and I immediately noted it down to read when it was published. I also have to give credit to the beautiful cover design for catching my attention: the classic magic and occult visuals combined with the soft but moody colour scheme. When I discovered the shop had kindly been sent a proof copy, I picked it up immediately.

What I expected was a fun supernatural romp, a perhaps slightly dark but broadly escapist fantasy. What I got ended up being a lot more than that. ‘All Our Hidden Gifts’ is a coming-of-age story for the modern teenager, set in nebulously present-day Ireland against a backdrop of social and political tensions which felt all too real. The supernatural plotline is enjoyably creepy and intertwines with and reflects on the concerns of its setting. Over the course of the book, we and Maeve become increasingly aware of the violence humming behind its respectable facade and these tensions rear their ugly heads and threaten to boil over.

There were several moments where I was concerned that the novel wouldn’t quite manage to balance its real-life and paranormal concerns, running the risk of oversimplifying contemporary social issues for the sake of resolving its supernatural plotline. Maeve herself is confronting social unrest and overt homophobia for the first time and, quite naturally, has a simplistic outlook on them at the beginning. It turns out I needn’t have worried: despite its main character’s naivety, the topics were handled with care and nuance that didn’t minimise their severity and which worked thematically.

Another thing that is important thematically is that Maeve is the main character who gets things wrong. She makes missteps and acts selfishly and hurts people. This was an element that I also thought was well-handled, especially in her relationship with Lily. Lily was, of course, not very present in this book but what there was of her was intriguing. I liked her unabashed weirdness and the off-putting things she would say or do. Her relationship with Maeve was fraught but realistic, in a way that captured the shifts that happen in teenage friendships as insecurity and self-consciousness take root. Lily and Maeve’s personal contention also intersected with the other discussions the book considers about how in-groups are established and to what ends people are willing to go in order to belong.

Overall, my thoughts on this book are positive and I would recommend it (although not for escapism, considering its uncomfortably accurate portrayals of media homophobia!). Even though I found aspects of this book quite bleak, I did find that there was a balancing levity throughout. I enjoyed the character of Fi and her family, and also Roe, who had really fun energy on the page. It is not an unchallenging read, but I think it handles its ambitious subject matter well, especially for its target audience. I will be looking forward to the next book in the series!

All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue is due to be published on 27th May 2021. Order a copy here.