Himself

Product Information

Set in 1863 London, this lurid but languid gothic mystery from Kidd (Mr. Flood’s Last Resort) finds eccentric female detective Bridie Devine investigating the disappearance of six-year-old Continue reading » It's 1976. Mahoney, in his tight leather bell-bottoms, has returned to the town of Mulderrig. He’s determined to find out once and for all, what happened to his mother, Orla, who disappeared in 1950 when he was just a baby. He's met with an inordinate amount of resistance from the villagers. Each of them, it seems, has something to hide, and none of them want him around. He finds an ally in the elderly diva Mrs. Cauley, who takes up his cause. She's a former actress who puts on the church's annual fundraising play. She makes Mahoney the star of the show while the two of them sleuth around. Kidd likens her to Miss Marple, a Miss Marple who cusses and drinks with special Irish flair.

HIMSELF | Kirkus Reviews HIMSELF | Kirkus Reviews

At this time of the day the few shops are shuttered and closed, and the signs swing with an after-hours lilt and pitch, and the sun-warmed shop front letters bloom and fade. Up and down the high street, from Adair’s Pharmacy to Farr’s Outfitters, from the offices of Gibbons & McGrath Solicitors to the Post Office and General Store, all is quiet.Author Jess Kidd has an imagination gifted only to the few and writes in my favourite genre of magical realism. There really isn't a weak character to be found, and Mahoney's kindred spirit (caustic geriatric, Merle Cauley), is an absolute joy to behold. The gothic plot of this murder mystery (following Himself) about an Irish caregiver and her client, a cantankerous, widowed hoarder, boasts Kidd’s darkly comic sensibility, atmospheric Continue reading » Himself starts off dark and violent and left us wanting to stay hidden in those magical bushes to hide from the dark but soon humor is introduced into the story to lighten the darkness of this story. Jess Kidd does a good job balancing the dark with some light here with magic and humor. This is one of the most enjoyable books I've ever read. I already owned it when I was offered Jess Kidd's next book, "Things in Jars," to review. I thought this would be the perfect time to read "Himself" and now I know anytime is the perfect time to read "Himself." What a book! It's got mystery, comedy, magical realism, violence, romance and terrific, memorable characters.

Himself by Jess Kidd - Publishers Weekly Himself by Jess Kidd - Publishers Weekly

When investigating what happened to his mother, Orla, Mahoney also gets help from some pretty incredible friends: Ms. Cauley, the quirky theatre performer who is wildly entertaining and full of ideas as to how to help Mahoney; Bridget Doosey, a woman who knew his mother and has gifts of her own; and Shauna, Mahoney’s, landlady who will do anything to protect him. These women are instrumental in his finding the truth.Mahony, as we know, has come to Mulderrig to find out what happened to his mother. He is caught in quite the conundrum. If his mother is alive, why did she leave him? And as he has the power to see dead people, if dead than why can’t he see her? Himself is Jess Kidd's confident, engaging debut novel. It has a captivating ensemble cast, great jolts of humor and danger, hair-raising plot twists and just enough darkness to make the magic feel true. A thoroughly enjoyable read." Mahony increases his smile to show his teeth in an expression of considerable natural charm altogether capable of beguiling the hardest bastard of humankind. “Well, the last thing I need is work. I’m taking a break from the city.” Kidd's brilliantly bold debut mixes up murder and mayhem with the eerily supernatural. It's a tender, violent and funny story told in prose that is lyrical, lush and hugely imaginative. Utterly unputdownable." - Sunday Express Magazine (UK) Learn some good old Irish slang. Start by Googling terms like “acting the maggot,” “earwigging,” and “throwing shapes” to see what they mean.

Himself by Jess Kidd | Waterstones

I work with a man from Ireland, and it's been more than a bit fascinating to watch how white Americans interact with him. Because Americans aren't shy about claiming Irish heritage (although it's the jocular kind, for whatever that may mean), or sharing stories about what they perceive as local Irish culture (as I live in Wisconsin, you may correctly perceive this as an oxymoron), and frequently fall over themselves trying to connect with him in a way that you would never, ever see them do for most other ethnicities. I mention this, because Kidd's characters feel a little bit like the idea of what Irish people are: the disapproving priest, the drunk barman, the handsome rogue, the daffy old lady that sees into the beyond. Mulderrig is a place like no other. Here the colors are a little bit brighter and the sky is a little bit wider. Here the trees are as old as the mountains and a clear river runs into the sea. People are born to live and stay and die here. They don’t want to go. Why would they when all the roads that lead to Mulderrig are downhill so that leaving is uphill all the way?”The narrative and writing alone are powerful enough to power this novel to the heights of one of the best debut’s I have read, but the magical realism element propels it to another stratum entirely. The ghosts, the ever-pervading presence of the forest, the little town which feels like a living, breathing, sentient being itself. Incredibly magical. Starred Review. Exceptional ... While the plot hurtles along at a rapid pace, leading inexorably to the heart-pounding final conflict, Kidd injects ample doses of macabre humor and lyrical description in this memorable story from a strange, bold new voice." - Publishers Weekly Whether Mahony wishes the dead to remain in his peripheral vision or not, he can’t avoid them. He has come to town, searching for his story, and they have stories to tell. The man plans to kill both mother and son, but after burying the mother and returning to find the son, he is perplexed, puzzled. It is almost as if the very forest itself has hidden the child from him. No matter how hard he searches he cannot find the child. Ferns have curled around him, branches have stooped and dropped their leaves in a blanket covering him.