Jess Kidd, author of the novel Himself, is such a lyrical writer and adept storyteller, that I was surprised to learn this was her debut novel. This book is very unique--a blend of so many different genres. Running through its pages are a mystery, magical realism, folklore, and even a gothic element in that the town itself is alive. It is set in Ireland during the 1950s and 1970s. Mahony, the protagonist, has been raised in a Dublin orphanage, and always been told by one of the nuns that he was unwanted as a child. This 26-year-old's life changes forever, though, when Father McNamara hands him a letter containing a photograph of himself and his teenage mother, and his real name. He also learns that his mother wanted him and came from a small town on the West Coast of Ireland. So how did he end up at an orphanage in Dublin? Mahony travels to the town of his birth, Mulderrig, in order to find out what happened to his mother (murder--although the townspeople mostly think she left town) and in order to try to determine who his father is. The town is full of eccentric characters both living and dead who help or hinder Mahony in his quest--for Mahony has the gift of being able to see the dead. To quote the novel: "For the dead are always close by in a life like Mahoney’s. The dead are drawn to the confused and the unwritten, the damaged and the fractured, to those with big cracks and gaps in their tales, which the dead just yearn to fill. For the dead have secondhand stories to share with you, if you’d only let them get a foot in the door." The novel reminded me a lot of the classic Spoon River Anthology, except it is set in a later era, in another country, and does not shy away from the more modern literary additions of bad language and scenes of seduction. The lyrical writing kept my attention throughout despite the very unique characters and plot twists because it was a symphony of storytelling.

I'd give this 4.5 stars.

"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?"

Mulderrig is a small Irish village, a Brigadoon of sorts. One spring day in 1976, Mahony arrives in Mulderrig from Dublin, where he has lived all of his life. Or most of his life. Because just recently, he found out that one of his chief nemeses at the orphanage where he was raised, Sister Veronica, left him an envelope when she died. And in this envelope was news which changed his life: a picture of him as an infant with his mother, telling him his real name, and that he is from Mulderrig. The note also said that his mother was "the curse of the town," so they took him from her.

For Mahony, who has always been a bit of a rake (yet a handsome one) and a ne'er-do-well, this is powerful stuff. He had believed his mother had abandoned him, but he couldn't understand why, or why she never searched for him. So he heads to Mulderrig to try and uncover the truth about what happened to her 26 years ago.

"He has always believed two things, that his mother was dead and that he had known her. In order to feel her loss he must have known her presence. And he does feel her loss, he always has. Which is why he has been searching for her all his life: because he had loved her and because he had lost her. He'd searched but she'd never answered."

Mahony's return creates quite a stir in Mulderrig for a number of reasons. His physical appearance (even though he's a bit of an unwashed hippie-type) and his newness appeal to women of all ages, who react in unusual ways. His similarities to his mother quickly raise the ire, suspicion, and guilt of those residents who knew her, and might have had a hand in her circumstances. Oh, and his return has also raised the dead, many of whom were alive or around 26 years ago, and only a few people in town, including Mahony, can see and communicate with them.

Teaming up with Mrs. Cauley, an eccentric former theater actress who likes nothing more than to stir up trouble among Mulderrig's residents, Mahony is determined to uncover the truth about his mother. The two concoct a plan to interrogate those who might know something, and hopefully flush out the truth, with the help of some of the town's colorful residents. But this scandal ran far and wide through Mulderrig, and the two might be putting themselves and those they care about in danger as they get closer and closer to the truth.

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.

While Jess Kidd spent so much time creating the "good" characters, and they are so tremendously appealing, some of the "bad" characters don't get the same attention, so they feel a little more like stereotypical characters than fully realized. But the beauty of Kidd's storytelling, and the warmth of this book is wonderful, reminding me a bit of those quirky Irish movies like Waking Ned Devine. (In tone, not subject matter.) This is a book which would be absolutely terrific as a movie because there is so much your mind's eye pictures, and it would be great to see that portrayed on screen.

If you're looking for a book with a little bit of charm and whimsy along with its terrific story, pick up Jess Kidd's Himself. In a literary world of copycats, this feels pretty original in many ways.

NetGalley and Atria Books provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

I couldn't get intout this book. Didn't like the ghosts everywhere. Just wasnt interesting

Himself centres on the return of a young man to an small village in the West of Ireland in search of his roots. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, with its well developed cast of characters. The story blended elements of the supernatural with laugh out loud lines, and touched on serious themes and difficult to read passages, giving a well balance narrative. I felt the author really captured the typical Irish voice of any number of rural villages and very much felt transported to the setting. A serious page turner that I'd definitely recommend to other.

Promising start and charming at times, but more "murder she wrote" than what I was expecting. Can see this being a big hit with cozy mystery fans.

From the moment I began reading this tale of mystery, magic and mayhem, I was under the spell of the village of Mulderrig and its inhabitants, both living and dead. The language was both rough and lyrical, just like the people themselves.. It was a treat to get to know these charmers and ne'er do wells, villains and saints. My only suggestion when reading this book is to keep an account of the characters, especially the women. I lost track of who was who and sometimes had to stop and back up. It was worth a little confusion, however, to reach the very satisfying conclusion of this tale.

I want to thank Jess Kidd, Atria and Netgalley for giving me this book for my honest review!
Review By Stephanie
4.5 Stars
I was instantly drawn to Himself when I saw that amazing cover on Netgalley then I read the description and was like hells yeah! I was super excited when I got it and dove right in! I was hooked immediately so I just sat back and read this amazing rollercoaster of a novel!
Mahony was an infant when he was abandoned on the steps of an orphanage. He assumed for most of his life that his mother just didn’t want him. Then one day he received a strange note implying foul play in how he ended up on those orphanage steps. So intrigued in finding out the truth he had to return to the Irish village when he was born.
When Mahony arrives to Mulderring the locals are instantly drawn to the familiarity of his face. The reactions are completely different: the men are curious, the women are excited by his presences and the God- fearing people are very suspicious…….
Jess Kidd does a steller job telling this story. The twists and turns within this complex story were crafted so beautifully. The way she could able to time jump from the 50’s to the 70’s effortlessly and made the story so much more interesting! This is Jess’s debut novel and I will defiantly be keeping an eye out on her and what else she releases!

Here's a very different, very lyrical novel set in an isolated western Irish village, Mulderrig. It's part mystery and part ghost story, with romance around its edges, and antic humor throughout.

If you're looking for an unusual mystery, in which ghosts play as much a part as the living, then you'll appreciate "Himself".

I've been feeling particularly stingy with my five-star reviews these last few months. Though I've always tried to not throw them out there with too much ease, restricting them only to the books that really affect me for some reason or another (sometimes very different reasons for books that exist within that same bracket), I felt that perhaps I'd been too free with them over the last year or so and have been trying to reign them in a bit.

However, ever since I posted my review on Saunders' Lincoln in the Bardo, I've realized that perhaps I've overcorrected. On my original review, I gave Lincoln four stars but have since been thinking about it pretty much every day, forcing myself to acknowledge that it really is a five star book for me (and I've since corrected that).

When I started assessing about halfway through Himself how many stars I might give it (as I always do, being a consummate goodreads reader), I wondered about the five stars yet again. Too generous? Really, with a debut novel? Really, when I just admitted that the SAUNDERS is a five star?

But damn it, Kidd just absolutely convinced me. I found this novel to just be fucking amazing. It opens in 1976 rural Ireland. It's impossible to categorize it simply as magical realism or as a strict fantasy. It's not a fantasy in the traditional fantasy sense but the level of magical in the magical realism does catapult it out of that tidy category. It's also a mystery, by the way.

Mahony is an orphan in his early twenties who returns to the tiny village to discover what happened to his mother there, in the 1950s. The dark humor, searing wittiness, and incredible descriptions are in themselves certainly strong enough to carry the book, but Kidd then adds that Mahony is constantly (constantly) seeing the dead everywhere he goes and doing his best not to interact with them as frequently as he would the living (and mostly deceptive people) around him.

I imagine (and have seen a couple of reviews out there), that the level of magical realism and/or the highly descriptive language will be too much for some readers. I, however, loved every line.

"Last Thursday, Father Gerard McNamara walked into the Bridge Tavern with a black leather folio in his hand and an envelope inside the folio. He was seeking one of St. Anthony's most notorious alumni and had started by visiting the bars within a one-mile radius of the orphanage. For Father McNamara was heeding the advice of the local guards along with the principle that a rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree; it usually festers right next to it."

"Mrs. Cauley had paid very well for many years, keeping a roof in Rathmore House, a fire in the hearth, and glass in some of the windows. Mrs. Cauley had even stayed after the standards dropped when Shauna's mammy ran off to England with a guest, leaving Shauna's daddy hermited with grief in his workshop, reading about fairies and talking to himself in a Protestant accent."

"With great effort, she stands and Mahony sees how small she is, not quite five feet tall and the weight of dry hide and honeycomb bone alone."

"The night air stalks into the room and starts to tease the dust along the skirting boards."

"Mahony shrugs. How can he explain? How can he explain to Mrs. Cauley that Father Jim is just a vague copy of his former living self? That just like any other dead person, his mind, if you can call it a mind, has ceased to exist. For the dead don't change or grow. They're just echoes of the stories of their own lives sung back in the wrong order: arsewards. They're the pattern on closed eyelids after you turn away from a bright object. They're twice-exposed film. They're not really here, so cause and effect mean nothing to them."

"The wind is still and the storm has passed and Father Quinn is up with the surviving larks before the town is even awake enough to find its bollocks, let alone scratch them."

"At twenty minutes past eleven, refusing a package of sandwiches and a flask of tea from Shauna, Mahony exits the west-facing door of the village hall. He takes the back road to Kerrigan's bar and sees no one. He enters the saloon door at twenty-four minutes past eleven. Tadhg is stacking bottles of lemonade behind the bar. Mahony asks the crack of Tadhg's arse if he can have a lend of the car. The crack says he can of course but it's full of chickens. Mahony thanks the crack and runs out of the back door."

Man, there's so many lines I want to share! Speaking of which, please note that I was given an advance copy by Atria (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) for review and it doesn't come out until next Tuesday, the 14th, so there's always a possibility of the final print being different than some of the lines I've shared here. But I just find the writing so lyrical and compelling and funny that I can't help myself.

By the way, Chapter 44, while I was finishing last night, just about did my head (and heart) in. Devastating. Gorgeous. It'll stick with me for a very, very long time.

Highly recommended. Kidd has instantly become an author for whom I will auto-buy.

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley. First of all, for a debut novel, I was fairly impressed. You hit a lot of the notes as a reader throughout the story that you don't always get in a debut novel. Mahoney was developed enough where you cared about his story and what was happening to him. The townspeople were varied and interesting. The best part of the story though was the mystery behind Orla. While I was surprised that Kidd revealed her fate so early in the story, I do think keeping whom was involved hanging till near the end was well played. It was a bit who dunnit? and suspenseful all at the same time. Definitely not what I expected either. Overall, a fairly cohesive and good read.

Here is a review by Jennifer: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1926600290

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Jess Kidd, and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all, for sharing your hard work with me.

This is an absolutely fascinating novel. From first page to last, it is spellbinding with a little of this (psychic phenomena), a little of that (visits with the dead) that keeps you turning pages. Written with humor and reading as a fairy tale, it is a book I gladly refer to friends and family, and an author I will add to my favorites list.

Ah, feck me blind now, Jess Kidd’s written herself a novel, and it’s good enough for any ten others. It comes out March 14, 2017, and although I read it free via Net Galley and Atria, there’s surely a chance I will buy one or more copies to give to those I love anyway. You should, too. It’s too clever to miss, and if you don’t mind a bit of irreverence, if you have a heart at all for Ireland and for ordinary working folk just trying to get along as best they’re able, this book is your book. Sly as hell and fall-down-laughing funny, it will put a spring in your step for a goodly while thereafter. That it will!

Mahony has come to the tiny Irish town of Mulderrig, looking to find out what happened to his mammy, who left him orphaned when he was small. The townsfolk aren’t happy to see anyone related to Orla Sweeney, but Mahony is undeniable in his charm, with:

“A face that women can love on sight and men will smile upon. Mahony has the right tone in his voice and the right words to go with it. Mahony has a hand that people want to shake and a back they want to pat.”

But beneath the charm, the voice, and the handsome face, “He’s a Dublin orphan, which means that he could survive on an iceberg in just his socks.”

You see, like Orla before him, Mahony sees the dead, and they’re thick as flies here. They’re sitting on the rafters knitting; they’re smoking a pipe in the roll-top bath; they’re sitting on the cistern, just watching. Because “The dead are drawn to those with shattered hearts.”

But his mother isn’t among them; how can that be so?

As we follow Mahony on his quest, we get to know a number of the townspeople. Shauna runs the only decent boarding house in town, and since Mahony is staying there, we get to know her and her father, Desmond. We get to know Mrs. Cauley, the wealthy senior citizen that keeps the town afloat, ancient, wheelchair bound, and surrounded in her quarters by a “literary labyrinth” that’s positively magical. In her, Mahony finds an unexpected confederate. Though elderly enough to be fragile, when the chips are down Mrs. Cauley is at the ready, declaring that “I’m Miss Marple, with balls.”

We also get to know one of my favorite characters, Bridget Doosey, as well as the “crocodilian” parish priest, Father Quinn.

The lyricism of the text is owed to no small skill on the part of the author, partly with the use of figurative language—and here I tell my readers that are teachers, you’ll find no better passages for teaching the effective use of repetition anywhere, but select carefully, because the text is very spicy—but a certain amount of it is due to the intangible talent that some of us have, and that some of us don’t. I note that every chapter is ended brilliantly and the next also begun as much so.

I could reach into my notes all day long and find passages that are lyrical, moving, or funny enough to make you wish you’d been to the bathroom first. But in the end I’d be doing you a disservice, because what you really need is the book itself. With a little planning, you can have a copy in your hands before St. Patrick’s Day. And you should do so.

Charming, if long-winded, look at Ireland in the 1970's. A little mystical, a little murder mystery, a little character study, and a little too much. This book would have been a much tighter, fascinating read if it had been about 50 pages shorter. However, it was still a nice glimpse into the ways of small village Irish folk back in the day. Alternating between the present (in the '70's) and past events in the 50's, we are pulled into the secrets hidden amongst the old timers and the youngsters that surround the bad reputation, pregnancy and eventual disappearance of a young girl. Many interesting characters populate Mulderrig, not the least of whom is Mrs Cauley. Although Mahony is the main character, being the son of the missing pregnant girl from the 50's, Mrs Cauley is a whole book unto herself. Her backstory as a once famous actress, her constant companion the ghost Johnnie (lover? Fellow actor? ), her ability to sense the true nature of those around her, she would be a fascinating story all herself. So, although I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants to be immersed in a true example of storytelling, be aware that it is a bit long in the tooth. If you can stand to do some slogging through the long-winded parts, your reward will be a satisfying tale with a satisfying ending.

A man returns to the Irish village of Mulderrig to find out why his mother abandoned him as a baby--and the people of the village are not happy about him stirring things up.

This is one of the best books I've read in ages. Not only was the writing amazing and unusual, but the story -- a mixture of supernatural, folklore, mystery, and romance -- kept me up all night reading. Highly, highly recommended!

Ah, tis a beautiful little Irish tale found within the pages of this debut author. Set in County Mayo, a poor young Irish lass is viciously murdered and her child taken to the church orphanage in Dublin. Years later, Mahoney, the babe all grown up, returns to his hometown of Mulderrig to solve the mystery of his mother's death. Steeped in Irish folklore, this beautiful little book recounts the town's reaction to this citified young man as it also remembers the life of his teenage mother. The prejudice towards the poor is on full display here, making my skin crawl at times and my anger awake. Mahoney is not the perfect hero; he has some criminal tendencies, is a bit loose with his affections, and batters at the lines drawn by the town. Yet there is beauty in Mahoney, in his friendship with the ancient old stage actress who takes him under his wings, in the love he shares with a young woman, in the interactions he has with the many ghosts he encounters in Mulderrig. And yes, many ghosts flit through the scenes and become well-loved characters of this beautiful book. Jess Kidd can write not only beautiful prose, but is adept at creating characters who sing with life, who make you smile at their conversations, and make you care about both their past and their future. Heading to Ireland in the near future to explore small villages? This is the book for you:)

Himself is Mahony, a young man often in trouble with the authorities of Dublin. Mahony was raised in an orphanage in Dublin and his whole life believed what he had been told, that his mother abandoned him on the steps. One day Mahony receives a photograph and a short note telling him otherwise and he leaves Dublin immediately to travel to the village where he was born, Mulderrig, to learn the truth of his mother.
Mulderrig is an unusual place, the superstitions are real, the locals are secluded and the place is full of dead people who wander around still living their lives. Mahony can see them. He can talk to them. And they lend a helping hand in sorting out the mess of Mahony’s life. The villagers recognize Mahony as soon as they lay eyes on him and are not so welcoming as the dead.
Mahony was always told and continues to be told by the villagers that his incorrigible mother got on a train with him in one arm, a suitcase in another and good riddance to her. No one is willing to drag her life out into the open again. Least of all her killer.
Mahony has an ally in Mrs. Cauley, a very old, very frail retired actress who seems to hold the town in her hands and somehow manages to stay alive in spite of that. Mrs. Cauley agrees with Mahony. His mother didn’t get on a train. The two of them use her annual production as a means to uncover the truth in this very closed village.
I happen to believe in the ghosts around us so I had no trouble with this part of the story. If you don’t consider the ghosts around you then you could look at it as an element of humor to the story. Superstition, belief in fairies and the living dead are a large part of the Irish psyche and wow, Jess Kidd gives them a real part to play.
I don’t want to give away too much about this story, nor do I want to say so little that you will think this isn’t something special and deserving of your time. I loved the language in this book. I loved the story, the mystery, the characters and living in the village for awhile. Just give yourself a bit of a feel for the place and enjoy the journey.

Very enjoyable story. Loved the mystical aspects and loved the characters

Himself is the first book by Jess Kidd so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was a book that is hard to quantify. This is a standalone with no cliffhanger. There is violence and magical influences including a lot of ghosts.

The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat all of that info here. The author did a good job of explaining Mahony's background, why he came to the village, and eventually the story of his mother. There is a lot of history and secrets between characters in the storyline that keep you guessing what twists and turns will be revealed next.

While overall the storyline was okay, I found it difficult to follow. The chapters kept going back and forth between the 1950s and 1970s. I had a hard time keeping track of all the characters in the village, and which ones were alive and which ones were the ghosts. I don't usually judge an author by just one book, and I won't with Jess Kidd. I just hope the next book is easier for me to follow the storyline.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and chose to review it for other readers.

Himself follows Mahony, an orphaned Dublin boy who goes back to Mulderrig, the town where was born, once he finds out his mother did not abandon him but may have been killed. The book is filled with magical realism, with holy springs that begin in the middle of the library, islands that appear only once in a lifetime, and people that can see the dead. It's also a mystery, as Mahony tries to figure out what really happened to his mother.

The writing in here is gorgeous. It's easy to get sucked into the atmospheric, slightly mystical and quirky book. I loved the descriptions (at one point, the priest is described as being a "malevolent cricket"). The characters are also a lot of fun, from Mrs. Cauley with her endless collections of wigs and flying books, to Shauna and her constant battle with cobwebs and scones. And while I wish not every single female in this book fell in love with Mahony, it was easy to see his charm, too.

Though the book was a bit slow to start, after a bit, I couldn't put it down. I'm not sure if I didn't read this carefully enough, but I did have a couple of questions at the end I expected to be answered. <spoiler>Did Tom really do anything to Orla? What was Jack burying in the sack? Why does Bridget at the end say, "It wasn't Jack?"</spoiler>

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!