The evolving magic of friendships in ‘The Gifts That Bind Us’ by Caroline O’Donoghue
‘All Our Hidden Gifts’ by Caroline O’Donoghue was one our favourite Young Adult reads from 2021. Me and Sophie both raved about it, so when Walker offered us proof copies of the second book of course our answer was YES PLEASE OH MY GOSH THANKS!
(So on that note, this does feature AD PR content, but thoughts and opinions remain honest and my own)
The blurb is as follows:
“Maeve and her friends have revealed their powers and banded together as a coven: Roe can pick locks, Lily sends sparks flying, Maeve can read minds and Fiona can heal any injury.
And even better than their newfound talents? Roe and Maeve are officially an item.
But with strange things happening at school, and old enemies appearing in new places, it soon becomes clear their powers are attracting all the wrong attention. It’s not long before Maeve’s gift start to wane, drained by someone – or something – that’s hiding even from her second sight...”
And you can check out Sophie’s review of the book here:
REVIEW: The Gifts That Bind Us by Caroline O'Donoghue (a spellbinding sequel)
But me? I wanted to talk about something more specific. I found this book so easy to read, I smashed through it in a couple of sittings and it was such a wonderful feeling to be back with these familair characters. What I truly appreciate about ‘The Gifts That Bind Us’ is how the relationships of the characters changes and evolves.
I felt it on a very personal level because it reflected a very real experience of how your friendships can change and evolve through different stages. So for Maeve to have her relationships with Fiona, Lily and Roe shift and develop across the book, I thought that was very clever writing.
As humans, regardless of our age, we naturally feel a push and pull towards and away from different people. It could be that a person isn’t aligned with your current state of mind, or they let you down in some important way. They might betray you, or gravitate towards a different friendship for a time. But whatever the reason, it doesn’t make the process any less jarring and potentially distressing.
I keep my personal friendship circle very small. So whenever there is some kind of change I feel it acutely and devastatingly, and I felt that echoed in Maeve’s narrative.
The one I was the most worried for was Roe. They are my favourite character and I have truly enjoyed watching their relationship with Maeve grow and respond to each other. But I just knew that they were going to try to break my heart at some point and they kind of did. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but hot damn, this book all up in my feels.
It’s interesting, I think, who we stay in contact with after leaving school, or sixth form. I was glad to see that aspect explored, as well as that sense of not having a plan, or any kind of real expectation to do anything other than stay and live and work in the same town you grew up in. And that’s fine. All life choices are valid.
Again, kudos to O’Donoghue’s writing because I really felt for Maeve as she was watching her friends have it “all figured out”, even Lily who we see has completely embraced a bit of the “fuck its”, as I call it.
It’s an important thing to show to young people, I think. That you don’t have to have a plan, or any big and bold and jaw-dropping aspirations. If you currently only desire a quiet, stable and controlled life, then that is enough. That is more than enough. Whatever kind of life choices serve you should be the ones you make, right?
There is talk of a kind of trauma bond, and I think their situation can be considered like a very grand metaphor for how some groups of friends knit themselves together. It might not be such an alarming event that cements that bond, but ‘the gifts that bind us’ can do so in small but irreversable ways.
I am incredibly interested to know how her relationships with her friends continues to evolve in book three. It’s like a certain kind of magic, the way we create and maintain those bonds with people, and even more so if we can find a way to allow for changes in a positive and heartfelt way.
If you have not read ‘All Our Hidden Gifts’ or the sequel ‘The Gifts That Bind Us’ then I strongly urge you give it a try. If you wanted to buy a copy, then please consider using bookshop.org. We’re affiliated with them, so we get a small comission if you make a purchsae through them, but it’s also a really great way to support local bookshops.
Written by Sarah
