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Himself by Jess Kidd

I can’t rave enough about this magnificent debut novel. The author deftly drew me into Mulderrig, an insular rural Irish village in the 1970s. Mahoney (himself), left orphaned as a babe in the woods, comes back from Dublin to find out what happened to his teen mother. The village and forest are filled with secrets and hints, even some from the dead. Mahoney is an appealing and unforgettable character. The characters in the village are both captivating and repellent. I was mesmerized by the luminous prose, with just the right touches of magic realism, and will eagerly await this author’s future work.

Julie, R. J. Julia Booksellers, Madison