3.5
Himself
ByPublisher Description
A charming ne’er-do-well returns to his haunted Irish hometown to uncover the truth about his mother in this “supernaturally skilled debut” (Vanity Fair) and turns the town—and his life—upside down.
Having been abandoned at an orphanage as a baby, Mahony assumed all his life that his mother wanted nothing to do with him. That is, until one night in 1976 while drinking a pint at a Dublin pub, he receives an anonymous note implying that she may have been forced to give him up. Determined to find out what really happened, Mahony embarks on a pilgrimage back to his hometown, the rural village of Mulderrig. Neither he nor Mulderrig can possibly prepare for what’s in store…
From the moment he arrives, Mahony’s presence completely changes the village. Women fall all over themselves. The real and the fantastic are blurred. Chatty ghosts rise from their graves with secrets to tell, and local preacher Father Quinn will do anything to get rid of the slippery young man who is threatening the moral purity of his parish.
A spectacular new addition to the grand Irish storytelling tradition, Himself “is a darkly comic tale of murder, intrigue, haunting and illegitimacy…wickedly funny” (Daily Express).
Having been abandoned at an orphanage as a baby, Mahony assumed all his life that his mother wanted nothing to do with him. That is, until one night in 1976 while drinking a pint at a Dublin pub, he receives an anonymous note implying that she may have been forced to give him up. Determined to find out what really happened, Mahony embarks on a pilgrimage back to his hometown, the rural village of Mulderrig. Neither he nor Mulderrig can possibly prepare for what’s in store…
From the moment he arrives, Mahony’s presence completely changes the village. Women fall all over themselves. The real and the fantastic are blurred. Chatty ghosts rise from their graves with secrets to tell, and local preacher Father Quinn will do anything to get rid of the slippery young man who is threatening the moral purity of his parish.
A spectacular new addition to the grand Irish storytelling tradition, Himself “is a darkly comic tale of murder, intrigue, haunting and illegitimacy…wickedly funny” (Daily Express).
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3.5

Melinda Piñon
Created 4 days agoShare
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rocknreads (Jamie)
Created 19 days agoShare
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Amy Harper
Created 27 days agoShare
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Sheala
Created about 1 month agoShare
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“I’m going back and forth between 3 and 4 stars. I did enjoy it, it was whimsical and gothic and I love that the town of Mulderrig was supernatural in and of itself. I just felt confused damn near 75% of the time. The writing was beautiful but a little directionless at times and I caught myself being like “ok wtf is going on lemme circle back” over and over again. The ending is also a little unclear - kind of “up to interpretation” and I don’t hate that in endings but when you spend the majority of a book being mildly to completely confused, a clear ending to tie everything together is greatly appreciated. That being said I’ll probably be thinking about this book for the next 2-3 business days, so maybe it is a 4 star read for me.”
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