In The Hoarder, by Jess Kidd, we enter the world of Maud Drennan, a care worker tasked with keeping the belligerent, and downright rude, Cathal Flood alive. Left to his own devices, he has accumulated a houseful of rubbish that threatens to overwhelm anyone who dares enter the property. Maud is at the end of a long line of carers who have come and swiftly gone, and Mr Flood is on his last warning following his assault on her immediate predecessor. Behave, or go into care! Maud is not your run of the mill carer, her life has fuzzy edges to it in that she has a number of Saints who accompany her every move, making comment on her life wherever she goes. She also has endless patience, and slowly Cathal starts to open up to her, as does his house - or at least, the restless spirits who inhabit it. Did Cathal murder his wife and daughter? Why is his son so desperate to get his hands on the house and is there any chance that Maud will find love and recover from a childhood trauma? Part thriller, part supernatural fantasy, the different strands of past and present are woven together with great skill. There is so much humour in this book - I particularly like the asides with the Saints, who don't always act very saintly (yes St Valentine, I'm looking at you!) But there is also a murder mystery to solve, packed with danger and plenty of red herrings. There are immensely tender moments too as we see the friendship develop between Cathal and Maud. I really enjoyed this book, although I did kind of guess the ending. This is the second book of Jess Kidd that I have read (Things in Jars being the first), and while the strange worlds the author conjures up are ones that might not be for everyone, I will certainly be seeking out more of her work.
My STAR rating: FOUR.
Length: 352 print pages.
Price I paid: £3.00.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, audio CD, ebook.
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