Himself is the first novel by London-born author, Jess Kidd. ‘What you have to understand, Desmond, … Having been abandoned on the steps of an orphanage as an infant, lovable car thief and Dublin charmer Mahony assumed all his life that his mother had simply given him up. She grew up as part of a large family from Ireland’s County Mayo and now lives in London with her daughter. --Provided by publisher Kidd has a way with words: “Bridget exhales and waves her cigarette at him. She has a PhD in creative writing from St. Mary’s University in London. She grew up as part of a large family from Ireland’s County Mayo and now lives in London with her daughter. "Abandoned on the steps of an orphanage as an infant, lovable car thief and Dublin charmer Mahony assumed all his life that his mother had simply given him up. HIMSELF. She has a PhD in creative writing from St. Mary’s University in London. I thoroughly enjoyed the way Jess Kidd uses language. "Having been abandoned on the steps of an orphanage as an infant, lovable car thief and Dublin charmer Mahony assumed all his life that his mother had simply given him up. As well as writing a review, I’ve asked Jess a few questions, and I thought I would try to interleave the two… In 1976, Mahony arrives in Mulderrig, a village on the west coast of Ireland – and his childhood home. Jess Kidd is the award-winning author of Himself, Mr. Flood’s Last Resort, and Things in Jars. Debut novelist Kidd paints a darkly magical tale of a man who revisits his birthplace of Mulderrig, a small coastal town in Ireland, to investigate the mysterious circumstances of his mother’s death 26 years earlier. When he receives an anonymous note suggesting that foul play was involved, Mahony returns to the village where he was born to find out what really happened twenty-six years ago." Flood's Last Resort flares again into life in Himself. When Mahony returns to Mulderrig, a speck of a place on Ireland's west coast, he brings only his handsome face, a photograph of his too-young, long-lost mother, and a determination to do battle with the village's lies. Himself is beautifully written. Mahony also somehow wakes the dead from their graves, those folk who once lived here, with their foggy memories and hidden stories, floating greyly amongst the unseeing living. But I gave it four stars because of the ending. She elevates the ordinary to the extraordinary and it is a joy to read: Words are capable of flying. Jess Kidd is the award-winning author of Himself, Mr. Flood’s Last Resort, and Things in Jars. But when I picked up a copy of Jess Kidd’s HIMSELF, my editorial voice fell silent and the reader in me simply rejoiced. I loved the supernatural element of the book and the way in which Jess Kidd plays with it; sometimes it provides tragedy and other times much humour. Today’s post is part of a blog tour for Himself, the debut novel by Jess Kidd. The last chapter answered one question obliquely but provided no answers to motivation. Himself by Jess Kidd My rating: 4 of 5 stars Jess Kidd's vibrant vivid language that so hooked me in Mr. It’s a debut that offers a generous helping of humour, a bit of romance and a good dose of magic.