The Hoarder by Jess Kidd will be featured on the Radio 2 Book Club on Monday 19 March.
We have the chance for you to win 10 copies of this gripping mystery for your reading group! Please enter by Friday 23 March.
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We also have an exclusive extract available for you to read as well as a great reading guide for your group.
The Hoarder
Maud Drennan – underpaid carer and unintentional psychic – is the latest in a long line of dogsbodies for the ancient, belligerent Cathal Flood. Yet despite her best efforts, Maud is drawn into the mysteries concealed in his filthy, once-grand home. She realises that something is changing: Cathal, and the junk-filled rooms, are opening up to her.
With only her agoraphobic landlady and a troop of sarcastic ghostly saints to help, Maud must uncover what lies beneath Cathal’s decades-old hostility, and the strange activities of the house itself. And if someone has hidden a secret there, how far will they go to ensure it remains buried?
Selection panel review
The book was selected with the help of a panel of librarians from across the UK.
The panel loved The Hoarder – here are some of their comments:
“This was a really enjoyable read that featured well-written and engaging characters. Maud is one of a long line of carers who is sent into the home of Cathal Flood, a belligerent elderly gentleman who has turned his beautiful home into a health hazard with his hoarding. The house is bathed in mystery and Maud works with her agoraphobic landlady to unlock these mysteries to see what had made Cathal the person he is today. Maud has her own secret past, and since then she has been followed by a host of ghostly saints offering her advice. Lots of humour, unlikely friendships and some wonderful characters.”
“I found the characters in this book fascinating – I really loved the whole concept of Maud being able to see saints. Bridlemere was so well described you felt like you were creeping up the stairs alongside Maud. It was a real page-turner of a book – I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish and was sad to say goodbye to Maud, Cathal and Renata at the end.”
“This book is lovely with engaging writing and well-rounded characters. It’s funny, poignant and my favourite!”
About the author
Jess Kidd completed her first degree in Literature with The Open University, and has since taught creative writing and gained a PhD in Creative Writing Studies. Jess is now developing her own original TV projects with leading UK and International TV producers. She has also worked as a support worker specialising in acquired brain injury. In 2016, Jess won the Costa Short Story Award for Dirty Little Fishes and her debut novel Himself was selected for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club and shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards. In 2017, Himself was shortlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award and longlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger.
A word from Jess
I’m honoured and thrilled that The Hoarder has been picked for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club. Response to my debut novel, Himself, was phenomenal and heartening – I am so grateful to The Reading Agency and the Radio 2 Book Club for playing a immense part in this. Libraries and book groups bring people together, readers and writers, supporting discoveries and adventures. As a child I knew that reading meant freedom – the freedom to meet people like and unlike me, to travel anywhere, to escape my own reality. As an adult I still feel this magic when I open a book. As a reader I know I always will.
Get involved
Tune in to Simon Mayo’s Drivetime show on Monday 19 March to hear a live interview with Jess.
Have you read The Hoarder? Or Jess’ debut novel Himself? You can share your thoughts with us on Twitter or follow Jess Kidd
You can also see what other readers thought or add the book to your group’s reading list.
Want to find out more? Take a look at the Radio 2 Book Club Twitter feed or find out more on the Radio 2 Book Club website.