Himself

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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. If Mahony could remember the place, which he can’t of course, he’d not notice many changes since he’s been gone. Mulderrig doesn’t change, fast or slowly. Twenty-six years makes no odds. This is such a charming, magical book, and as quirky as it is, it's quite emotionally moving as well, as it explores the ideas of loss and grief, of a girl trying to rise above circumstances she has been handed although everyone wants to fight her at every turn, and the rejuvenating power of friendship. I know that at its heart, this book is a mystery, but I could have done without its brief foray into actual crime novel territory, even though I understood the point, in showing that even lovely towns like Mulderrig have these types of secrets which many want to remain hidden.

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

From the moment he arrives, Mahony’s presence completely changes the village. Women fall all over themselves. The real and the fantastic are blurred. Chatty ghosts rise from their graves with secrets to tell, and local preacher Father Quinn will do anything to get rid of the slippery young man who is threatening the moral purity of his parish. Despite the fact that Jess Kidd was born and raised in London, her family is from the small town of Mayo. Deal’s familiarity with the landscape and dialect as well is evident in her writing. Jess Deal possess an exceedingly lovely and unforceful style. Immediately after completing her undergraduate degree from Open University, Jess Kidd was blessed with a daughter. Kidd continued to study and work part-time before she eventually received her Ph.D. in creative writing studies. Jess Kidd’s dissertation focused on the ways and manner is which disparate genres and modes can be brought into correspondence so as to create new hybrid forms of crime fiction. I had a really tough time believing every female in the town of Mulderrig found Mahoney so irresistible. I got kind of tired hearing about how ridiculously good looking he was. Magical and delightful, was not at all ready to leave this small Irish town nor these wonderful characters. Mahoney, raised in an orphanage, come to Murdering to uncover the truth about the young mother he never knew. He creates quite a stir with his Byronic good looks, sets hearts a quivering, but not all because many in this place are holding secrets and one is a murderer. He meets some amazing characters, willing to help him with his quest: the old Mrs., Cauley, who was quite a stage sensation in her youth and still has vestiges of her bold character, Bridget Doosey, who has talents that are unseen, and the intrepid Shauna, a young women who falls hard to Mahoney.Prologue May 1950: His first blow: the girl made no noise, her dark eyes widened. She reeled a little as she bent and put the baby down. The man stood waiting.

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

Kidd’s research covered numerous key magical realists texts and crime fiction, together with the work of Dylan Thomas and John Millington Synge. Jess has continued to teach creative writing to adult learners and at the undergraduate level. She has also continued to serve as a support worker who specializes in acquired brain injury, a Rector, a PA and also an administrator at one of the local community centers. In the next few years, Jason Kidd plans to settle somewhere along Ireland’s West Coast, with her daughter. Currently, Jess Kidd is completing her second and third books. She is also working on her fourth novel and her very first collection of short stories, a majority of which have been set in Ireland or feature Irish protagonists. Now in his twenties, Mahony rides into Mulderrig, County Mayo, armed with a letter and a photograph he has just received to find out what happened to his mammy. Mahony is scruffy, has a devil may care smile that floors every woman he encounters and oozes charm. Everywhere he goes, the ghosts of the dead, human and animal, tumble out all around him, on occasion to help him. Despite resistance from a village that harbours lies, secrets and a murderer, he is implacable in his determination to discover what happened to his mother. He finds himself allied to and protected by a trio of Irish women you would not want to mess with. Mrs Cauley, a strong, yet frail and elderly actress with a magical library who insists on investigating Orla's death, has no qualms about shaking things in the village to see what falls out and is not afraid of the danger that lurks. Shaunna is Mahony's landlady who falls in love with Mahony and will let harm befall him only over her dead body. Bridget was a friend of Orla's, and uses her knowledge and gifts to help Mahony.

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Inside 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.

Himself by Jess Kidd review – a dark and rollicking debut

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.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. 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 story starts off so well. This is Jess Kidd's first novel and there is some truly fine writing here. It's often lyrical verging on the poetic, building tension and cadence with repeated refrains. I also enjoyed the whole superstitious Irish village thing she has going on, even if it’s teetering on the edge of cliche. It’s pretty humorous at times. And, I quite enjoyed the slithery character of Father Quinn. BUT... as I went along, I noticed problematic elements that lessened my enjoyment: The dead old woman opens a pair of briny eyes as round as vinegar eggs and looks at Mahony, and Mahony looks away, smiling full into Tadhg’s big face. “So are there any digs about the town, pal?”