Himself

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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. ™ Also, this book has lots and lots of ghosts. They are everywhere and Mahony and Ora share the ability to see them. However ghosts are dangerous because they don't lie and they reveal truths about the past that most people would rather keep hidden. Unfortunately, Mahony can't just ask his mother for the name of her murderer. "The dead are like cats, Mahony. You of all people should know that. They don't always come when they're called." I loved this book and would be happy to read anything else the author writes. The characters, alive and dead, are real and unforgettable. Mahony goes to visit Mrs. Cauley , who knew his mother well. She is a frail, elderly actress, who appears to be at death’s door but can still command attention. Jess Kidd has a PhD in Creative Writing from St. Mary's University. She grew up as a part of a large family from Mayo and now lives in London with her daughter. Himself is her first novel. She is currently at work on a second novel and a collection of short stories.

Himself: A Novel - Kindle edition by Kidd, Jess. Literature Himself: A Novel - Kindle edition by Kidd, Jess. Literature

This reading group guide for Himself includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book. How did the violence in the prologue affect your reading of the rest of the book? Is there a shift in tone between the prologue and the following chapters, and, if so, what might the purpose be? start to convey Mrs Lavelle out of the hall with the tenacity of a swarm of worker ants seeing off a trespassing wasp” But Sister Mary Margaret had told Mahony a different story, while she had taught him to hold a pencil and form his letters, and recognize all the major saints and many of the minor ones.In Himself we meet Mahoney, 26 years old, charismatic, very good looking and able to charm even ghosts with just a wink. What he does to the female population of Mulderrig, a small town in County Mayo Ireland, is amazing:) I am pretty sure he has charmed many of the readers of this book, including me. Mahony causes a tremendous stir in the village, with his brooding good looks, unshaven appearance, easy charm and – less palatably to its residents – relentless pursuit of the truth of what happened to his mother. The official story is that Orla, the local good-time girl, who grew up in a filthy hovel at the edge of the forest, left Mulderrig one afternoon in May 1950, and abandoned her child to the “care” of nuns. Yet as the novel opens with Orla’s brutal murder in the forest all those years ago, as witnessed by her infant son, it is evident that most of the village is, if not in cahoots with her killer, at the very least unwilling to uncover the past. 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.

Himself review: He sees dead people in Mayo – The Irish Times Himself review: He sees dead people in Mayo – The Irish Times

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. Blending strange kindnesses, casual violence and buried secrets: an unforgettable debut from a dark new voice in Irish fictionInside the envelope was a photograph of a girl with a half smile holding a blurred bundle, high and awkwardly, like found treasure. Mahony turned it over and the good solid schoolteacherly hand dealt him a left hook. It was a surprisingly fast paced story and I had no clue until it was revealed who the murderer/father was.

Jess Kidd – Canongate Books Jess Kidd – Canongate Books

She adds some supernatural elements here with our main character Mahony who sees the dead that holds the secrets and lies in a small Irish town. At times we were left confused with some of the supernatural and magical parts of the story and we were grateful to have a discussion to help us figure out some aspects of this story. It lead to a very interesting discussion amongst us and in the end about reading and discussing this story we were left very satisfied to come out of the bushes to recommend this story. The writing here is spectacular. I wish I had been reading so I could have highlighted the phrases. “If she had a heart, it would break for him, like a communion wafer.” There’s a dark humor lurking underneath the story. I just adored Mrs. Cauley and a lot of the humor revolves around her. Kidd firmly sets his story in rural Ireland and it’s so easy to picture every scene. 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?" It is one of many inventive set-ups that Kidd never really develops. There are token efforts to link her story to Synge’s great play about the duplicities of rural Irish society. Similarities abound: the wild west setting, the tale of a murder that grips a community, the hypocrisy and hearsay of village life, the piety masking the savagery, and the oppressive climate for women, who are viewed as either homemakers or whores.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. 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 This book is definitely magical. It combines realism with a mystery with supernatural and fantasy. I have read all of these genres at one time or another and the combination here works quite well. Jess Kidd’s writing is lyrical at times, literary at times, and very inventive. Then there is the book’s supernatural aspect: the eerie, poised alertness of animals, plants and trees, particularly in the forest scenes. This pastoral setting comes complete with a hermit (who may or may not be innocuous) dwelling in the woods, where a palpable malevolent presence broods throughout. As well as the chorus of the dead, we have a “holy spring” that erupts through Father Quinn’s study floor, and a concomitant plague of frogs; a storm of soot enveloping the village; life-changing floods. These cataclysms are perhaps too plentiful and too fantastical for one novel. Kidd has imagination to die for and a real command of plot and character; if she can trim the excess and ration the energy, her next book should be very fine indeed. Mystery fans should be forewarned, however . . . the story is also infused with the paranormal and has been given a strong dose of magical realism.