About this item

From the award-winning author of the "supernaturally skillful debut" (Vanity Fair) , Himself, a spellbinding romp about a caretaker and a cranky hoarder with a secret - complete with skulking saints, unresolved disappearances, greedy heirs, and a firecracker neighbor determined to get to the bottom of it all.Maud Drennan is a dedicated caretaker, but her sunny, capable disposition and snappy quips mask a deep sadness. A tragic childhood event left her in the company of a cast of patron saints who pop in and out of her life like unwelcome tourists. She tries to find solace in her hard work in London...but then she meets the inimitable Mr. Flood.A menace by all accounts, Cathal Flood is a widower living alone in a Gothic Dorset mansion crawling with collectors items and feral cats. Stubborn as anything and an extreme hoarder, he has been battling his sons attempts to move him into an old age home, and rumor has it he sent his last caretaker to the madhouse.But Maud is this insolent old mans last chance: If she can help him get the house in order, he might be able to fend off the deportation. So the unlikely pair begin to cooperate, connecting over their shared love of folk tales and their suspicion of Gabriel, Cathals overbearing son. Still, shadows are growing in the cluttered corners of the mansion, hinting at buried family secrets, and reminding Maud that she doesnt really know this man at all. When she starts poking around, the forgotten case of a missing local schoolgirl comes to light, and a full-steam search for answers begins.Full of charming eccentricities, twisted comedy, a whole lot of heart, and Jess Kidds "lyrical, lush, and hugely imaginative" (Sunday Express Magazine) prose, Mr. Floods Last Resort is a mesmerizing tale that will make you re-examine the space between sin and sainthood, reminding you that when all is said and done, the most important forgiveness that we can offer is to ourselves.



About the Author

Jess Kidd

I was brought up in London as part of a large family from County Mayo and started writing in the cupboard under the stairs. Being a shy child among great storytellers it seemed like a good plan to share my stories by writing them down. I haven't stopped since. I'm currently Writer in Residence at Richmond and Hillcroft Adult Community College where I returned to education as an adult learner.My latest book is a Victorian detective mystery called Things in Jars (Canongate, U.K. out now. Atria, U.S. out Feb 2020) . I'm busy working on Novel Four now and also developing original TV projects - watch this space!I love to hear from readers, so do get in touch viajesskidd.comTwitter @JessKiddHerself HimselfA BBC Radio 2 Book Club ChoiceShortlisted for the Irish Book Awards 2016Shortlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award 2017Longlisted for the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger 2017The HoarderA BBC Radio 2 Book Club ChoiceShortlisted Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year 2019'Dirty Little Fishes'Costa Short Story Award 2016



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