The Hoarder by Jess Kidd

Following on from her successful debut novel Himself Jess Kidd returns with the wonderful The Hoarder which is a dark and quirky but totalling brilliant in its conception and the characters we meet are just so full of personality. If you really loved reading Himself then you must not miss this real fantastic follow up.

The Hoarder starts as a bit of a slow burner as we get to know first Maud Drennan is the new carer for the Cathal Flood who is a grumpy old man for Drennan she is the latest in a long line of carers who have been assigned to Mr Flood and have not lasted but what of Maud, how will she get on? The problem with Mr Flood is he is a bit of a hoarder and that is an understatement. Years of stuff he has collected in his grand home.

The problem with many hoarders is that they do not believe there is a problem at all and it is everyone else who thinks they have. So for Maud she has the unenviable task of putting up with everything that Cathal throws at her, the abuse has scared many off in the past but not our Maud, she is made of stronger stuff and over time Cathal begins to see she is different and slowly he starts to open up and stories from his past start to come to the fore.

All homes have secrets and they eventually give up their secrets and for Maud she is become deeper and deeper into the past of Cathal’s past. For Maud she has something in her own life and is followed by the ghostly saints who pass on information on a daily basis to her. Then of course there is her neighbour Renata who is something of a personality all by herself. There is a secret in the old man’s home and Maud is getting closer to the secret but is this a secret that is best left alone buried under years of junk collected by the cantankerous Mr Flood.

At times this had me laughing and at times just sad. But The Hoarder is just brilliant and Jess Kidd is forging herself a name to be reckoned with in the world of writers. The way she crafts her stories are something to be behold and the characters are people you really want to learn more about. The Hoarder is at times creepy but also a mystery, the pace of the story moves along at a well-balanced pace and there is something here for everyone who just loves a truly great novel.

I have to say I loved The Hoarder and I know many more who are yet to discovers Jess Kidd’s writing will also warm to her characters. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

352 Pages.

Thank you Susan Armstrong (Conville and Walsh Agency) for the advanced review copy of The Hoarder by Jess Kidd

The Hoarder by Jess Kidd is published by Canongate Books and was published on 1^st February and is available through Waterstones, Amazon and through your local independent bookshop.