I'm clearing out books that I requested ages ago and have been on sale for years! I really enjoyed this title.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to finish this book, and cannot provide substantial feedback. I really liked what I have read, and hope to finish it when I have the chance!

An Irish tale which defines Irish storytelling! A priest, ghosts, small town of characters, family scandal and more. Ireland is calling and Jess Kidd brings her to us so pick up this book!

This book was much more dark than I expected. I am not a fan of the paranormal element. I decided to stop reading at about 15%.

This was such a unique read. Magical realism is always a pleasant surprise in books. I really liked the healthy mix of humor and also the paranormal bits which made this an enjoyable book for me. It reminded me of Lincoln in the Bardo.

I enjoyed this novel, and will certainly read more by Jess Kidd. The elements that brought everything together were familiar and comfortable, yet there were turns that were totally unexpected. Definitely recommended!

I'm so happy to have discovered Jess Kidd as an author. This is the first book I've read by her but it won't be my last.

The plot and mystery of this novel were a bit predictable, but I loved the characters, the small town, the light supernatural elements, and the references and alignment with J.M. Synge's The Playboy of the Western World.

This was a beautiful book by Jess Kidd; one seemingly very different but coming together in a familiar way -- family, secrets, murder mysteries, combined with folklore of Ireland and ghosts. Twenty-something, hippy Mahony arrives in a sleepy village of Mulderrig in 1976 in search of answers to his orphaned state. Uncovering secrets, literal ghosts, and deep friendships, Mahony does not rest until he discovers what really happened to his mother. Told across different point of views with flashbacks, Himself was a truly enjoyable and darkly hilarious novel that makes me look forward to Ms. Kidd's next novel.

There are no secrets in a small town. Eventually everything will come to the surface. This book keeps you guessing even until the very end. Well defined characters in a subtle, quite small town.. Everytihing you need for suspense and intrigue. I enjoyed reading this book.

Himself is a wonderful read! The magical aspect is grounded enough in reality that I didn't fall off the deep end. I loved the characters. This book made me smile and made me laugh. It is full of heart. Great use of the language. I read the print book and listened with my husband to the audio edition. We loved both equally. Wonderful narrator with delightful Irish accent for the audiobook. I am now following Jess Kidd. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next! Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for giving me an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review. I can honestly say I haven't been this excited about a book in some time.

Mulhoney was abandoned as a baby and grew up in a Dublin orphanage in the 70s, assuming his mother didn’t want him. As a young adult, he receives a tip that she was actually murdered, and he travels to the small town of his birth to discover the truth. The village receives him uneasily. He looks so much like his young teen mother, a girl who in spite of her age managed to make a big splash, that it’s not hard to figure out the connection. The women all respond to his charm and big eyes, the men are fine with him, but the uptight and self-righteous group who view themselves as in control are threatened by his very presence.

An encounter with aged troublemaker Mrs. Cauley sets up a plan in which the duo will observe and take note and deduce the killer. And yet, as the two of them gain allies and adversaries both, things grow beyond that, to deal with corruption of the ruling class and the freedom to love and live.

Himself is written in a poetic style, calling attention to skies and rivers and grasses. It also involves the dead, a lot of them, who can be seen only by Mulroney, who tell him stories and point to things but who also mostly just watch the living.

To be completely honest, I didn’t enjoy the writing style all that much. However, it is well done; this is a personal taste rather than anything objectively wrong. There are 2 murders that the readers “live” through with the victim, which I found somewhat disturbing. The story is fairly light and a fast read.

I am reading everything I can find by this author now. The book was well paced and I enjoyed the protagonist very much. Will be looking forward to more.

I had a hard time getting into the narrative. While the setup was interesting and the cast of characters had some appeal, I just couldn't get all that engaged with the story. Will give it another try in a few months and see if my opinion changes.

Laced with the blackest of humour and an undercurrent of grim reality, "Himself" is a fantastic first novel. Everything about this book feels so authentically, quintessentially Irish -- which makes it all the more charming.

A pretty decent murder mystery. An old, tight knit town covers up what really happened until the baby no one thought survived saunters into town as a grown man, looking for answers about his mother.

Free copy given in exchange for an honest review.

A strange and beguiling little book about the secrets of a small Irish village, that pivots easily between horror and comedy in a way that makes it seem remarkably real. Apart from the elements of magical realism, of course!

The story goes back and forth between the "present day" of the mid 1970s, and the late 1940s-early 1950s, when Mahony's teenage mother Orla went missing, with more of the 70s parts than the earlier time. Orla's disappearance is the central plot contrivance, but honestly it's more like a vehicle for village atmosphere and hijinks. The plot is more or less resolved, but by the end it's kind of besides the point. If you like that sort of thing, this is the book for you.

Throughout my reading, I kept mentally comparing it to many other things -- in a good way. I haven't read much Irish fiction, but on the British front this reminded me of, say, Phil Rickman or E.F. Benson, but set in the mid-20th century and with, like, lots of ghosts wandering around, and a sentient forest intent on protecting the oblivious main character! Mahony himself is actually the weakest link in the book. We're told about his hard knock upbringing in a Dublin orphanage and his time as a car thief, and then he lands in Mulderrig where he, a scruffy hippy, simply charms everyone he meets. I don't entirely get why; he's not given much of an interior life. Especially compared to some of the others.

Mrs. Cauley, an elderly eccentric who takes Mahony's family mystery on as a sort of pet project, is the heart of the book. She, too, reminds one of a great many literary antecedents -- also in a good way. The rest of the Mulderrig townsfolk are each interesting in their own way, with some given more depth than others. Some feel a bit stock, and others quite original. Especially the ghosts.

I liked this book a lot, and am interested to see what Kidd does next.

"The pipes sing about a land lost, about forgotten honor and wasted bravery. They sing of sedge-edged water and white skies, of the mountains and the sea, of those who are gone and those who never even were." This book was a complete delight. It's a literary mystery, small town social satire and dark comedy with beautiful language (read with a variety of captivating voices by Aiden Kelly, the narrator of the audiobook).

The prologue is set in Mulderrig, Ireland in 1950 and describes the murder of 16 year old Orla Sweeney while her infant son cries nearby. The baby winds up in a Dublin orphanage. In 1976, 26 year old Mahony returns to Mulderrig with a photo of his mother to find out what happened to her. Mahony is handsome, charming and very attractive to women. Nevertheless, the citizens of Mulderrig are not happy to see his return. Orla had been wild and a troublemaker and everyone had been relieved when she and her baby disappeared. His arrival leads to an outburst of superstition, threats, bribery and murder.

Mahony rents a room in the same house as the retired actress Mrs. Merle Cauley. Mahony and Cauley conclude that his mother must have been murdered and begin to investigate, starting with the interviewing everyone who shows up for auditions for the annual amateur play. The two have a similar way of cutting through bullshit and pretension and make an entertaining team.
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.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I adored the writing style. The author had me hooked from the first page! I did have to put it down halfway through the book because I knew it wouldn't be a good fit for our box- but this is one book I plan on going back to!