Himself

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I appreciate the authors imagination: a child ghost who lost her yo-yo in the forest - the eeriness created- the whimsical dead ensemble- etc. etc. There is the sense throughout that these connections are forced upon the story. Little happens organically or without the guiding hand of the author. Mrs Cauley’s idea to put Mahony centre stage in the lead role of the production is introduced and then largely forgotten after the auditions. The production is shunted to the wings as other subplots take over.

Himself by Jess Kidd review – humour and horror collide

There’s a hideous dog-murder, which felt like a gratuitous assault. It was a lazy way of showing us the psychopathy of one of the characters, by having them brutally kill a lovely and loyal-to-the-end animal. The aging sleuth’s devil-may-care attitude as she approaches the end of her life acts as a foil for the sanctimonious Fr Quinn. Her list of suspects is entitled “Men from Mulderrig (between the ages of 15 and 80) and its Environs with the Use of a Vehicle During the Summer of 1949”. Still, this knowing tone ultimately proves problematic to creating the chilling atmosphere needed to sustain the plot. With “Himself,” Jess Kidd bewitches the reader. I, for one, am glad I fell under his spell. I hope you will consider doing the same. In a nutshell this is your classic whodunnit. Oh, but it is more, so much more. in fact, it is like comparing a nutshell to a pistachio plantation.

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

A very quirky novel, Jess Kidd has a distinctive style that is difficult to describe. The tone and language were everything in this novel. The humor lightened up what is a serious murder mystery and brought in much needed levity. The language and descriptions oozes charm. He has a love affair that is pretty pointless to the plot, other than to show us yet again how studly he is... yawn.

Himself by Jess Kidd | Goodreads Himself by Jess Kidd | Goodreads

In her exceptional debut novel, Kidd explores the dark corners of the human mind in small-town 1970s Ireland, creating a haunting story that moves between the supernatural and the mundane. A murder mystery on the surface, the story digs past the traditional whodunit structure to paint a rich portrait of village life... 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.” start to convey Mrs Lavelle out of the hall with the tenacity of a swarm of worker ants seeing off a trespassing wasp” Jess Kidd in her debut novel, has created a world where humor resides among evil, where the good occupy the same world as the not so good, where fantasy and reality blend and merge into realm of sadness and happiness, where a son searches for a long lost mother and eventually finds love and understanding. Truly, this was for me a remarkable tale, and once again found myself loving the unique and mesmerizing storytelling of Ms Kidd.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 mixes the darkest capacities of these villagers with carefully observed whimsy and fantasy. Readers who enjoy a dollop of whiskey in their tea will feel right at home in Mulderrig." - Booklist Unfortunately for him, the only ghost he really wants to see (his mother's), eludes him. Ghosts in this book are like cats - they don't come when they're called. They aren't particularly helpful. They don't uncover crucial clues or whisper murderers’ names, though their presence is integral to the book.

Himself | Book by Jess Kidd | Official Publisher Page | Simon

This magical, vengeful story reconnected me with my Irishness and might possibly have brought my dear departed mother, Kathleen, scurrying to read it over my shoulder (she'd have loved this too). An enchanted adult tale which takes place in 1970s Ireland. A special young man leaves the city of Dublin behind to travel to the village of his birth to ferret out his mother’s killer and bring him to justice.

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I think this is a no-go for me. Something about it, though a mystery, though set in Ireland, though occasionally populated with ghosts, just failed to catch my attention. It could be me, certainly. But I'll also throw out there that it just seems a touch... Irish. ™