Available as Paperback, eBook
The mesmerising second novel from Jess Kidd, featured on BBC Radio 2 Book Club. A ‘dark, comical tale of haunting and hoarding … Brilliant’ The Times
A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB CHOICE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE KERRY GROUP IRISH NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD
LONGLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD
Unintentional psychic Maud Drennan arrives to look after Cathal Flood, a belligerent man hiding in his filthy, cat-filled home.
Her job is simple: clear the rubbish, take care of the patient. But the once-grand house has more to reveal than simply its rooms. There is a secret here, and whether she likes it or not, Maud may be the one to finally uncover what has previously been kept hidden …
* In the US, this book is published under the title Mr Flood’s Last Resort
“This dark but comical tale of haunting and hoarding ensnares … [Kidd’s] imagination is vivid … Brilliant”
the Times
See more reviews
“A lyrical gothic detective saga … Wonderfully enigmatic and complex … [Kidd] is a writer with a poet’s skill of balancing clarity and inventive flair”
Andrew Michael Hurley
guardian
“A brilliantly imaginative tale of secrets and lies, grief and guilt … Kidd’s writing is gorgeous, the story is enthralling and emotions are sorrowfully raw and vivid in this funny, dark and original literary mystery”
sunday Express, S Magazine
“Excellent … The observations are sharp and humorous … with pages of inventive and colourful description … The Hoarder is a strong follow-up from a very talented writer who seems to be honing her skills”
sunday Times
“An arresting talent … Executed with irresistible panache, Kidd’s novel is as full to the brim with the fantastic as Cathal’s Gothic lair is with junk … A galloping yarn that entertains even as it disturbs”
daily Mail
Jess Kidd
Jess Kidd was brought up in London as part of a large family from County Mayo. Her first novel, Himself, was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards in 2016 and she was the winner of the Costa Short Story Award in the same year. In 2017, Himself was shortlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award and longlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger. Her second novel, The Hoarder, was shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award in association with Listowel Writers’ Week’. Both books were BBC Radio 2 Book Club picks.
@JessKiddHerself | jesskidd.com
“Characterisation is where Kidd excels. Cathal Flood is wonderfully enigmatic and complex, and the first description of Maud’s landlady Renata … is assurance if any were needed that this is a writer with a poet’s skill of balancing clarity and inventive flair … Just as Mulderrig in Himself was conjured out of a beautiful, often erotic lyricism, so Bridlemere is brought to life by Kidd’s rich depictions of decay and eccentricity”
Andrew Michael Hurley
The Guardian
Jess Kidd, author of The Hoarder, goes through the shelves of Waterstones to talk about some of the authors that inspired her – from Charles Dickens to Angela Carter and David Almond.
Jess Kidd on the experience and research that informed her new novel, The Hoarder. You can listen to the full interview with Jess on the BBC’s Front Row website.
“Eerie, engrossing … The author skilfully sifts through the secrets harboured in homes and haunting the heart … The tension between concealing and revealing utterly grips”
Anita Sethi
The Observer
