Things in Jars

by Jess Kidd

London, 1863. Bridie Devine, the finest female detective of her age, is taking on her toughest case yet. Reeling from her last job and with her reputation in tatters, a remarkable puzzle has come her way. Christabel Berwick has been kidnapped. But Christabel is no ordinary child. She is not supposed to exist.

As Bridie fights to recover the stolen child she enters a world of fanatical anatomists, crooked surgeons and mercenary showmen. Anomalies are in fashion, curiosities are the thing, and fortunes are won and lost in the name of entertainment. The public love a spectacle and Christabel may well prove the most remarkable spectacle London has ever seen.

Things in Jars is an enchanting Victorian detective novel that explores what it is to be human in inhumane times.

• ISBN10: 1786893762
• ISBN13: 9781786893765
• Publish Date: 4 April 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Canongate Books
• Edition: Main
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Who doesn't need an atmospheric read in their life? Things in Jars, written by Jess Kidd, is a novel that captured my attention for a variety of reasons. The described setting, the female detective as the leading lady, and so much more.

Bridie Devine is both famous and infamous. She's an extraordinary detective, and specializes in the odd cases. The cases that nobody else wants to take. The ones that have lives on the line, or are too cold to otherwise be solved.

Set in Victorian London, this status of hers comes with bragging rights. Yet her latest case, the case of a kidnapped girl, is going to be the toughest one to crack. It's going to take the help of two unique figures in her life to get through this one.

“Stories, particularly the bad ones, are told in their own time.”

I cannot begin to explain how excited I was to start reading Things in Jars. It's been on my list for almost a year now, I'm a bit ashamed to admit. So you can imagine my surprise when I didn't end up loving this book the way I expected.

That isn't to say that it's a bad novel – far from it. Jess Kidds' writing is beautiful and captivating. There's something so unique about the way she described the world around Bridie. Yet at the same time, I found myself struggling to pay attention to the story itself.

Which really is a surprise, as there were several mysteries laid out fairly early on that I really wanted to know the answers to. I simply just kept finding myself distracted, as the in between moments didn't hold my attention to the same levels.

“This is a practical woman, or at least a woman who finds it practical to be able to fit through doorways, climb stairs, and breathe.”

All of that being said, I did adore certain elements about this tale. The main character, for one. The personal mystery she was steeped in, as well as the one she was hired to solve. Then there's the world, which is simultaneously fascinating and kind of dark – the best combination, if you ask me. The end result is something so delightfully atmospheric.

Last, but not least, there's the reason for the title of this novel. Now, that one packs quite the punch! It isn't every day that I see a title that is so lovely, yet hints at something so...twisted? It's pretty on point for the whole of this story.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[brokentune]

The sea rocked asleep, now wakes and answers, a refrain of waves and shale-song. The rain in the sky that is yet to fall, answers; a storm gathers. All the rivers and streams and bogs and lakes and fens and puddles and horse troughs and wishing wells wake and answer, adding their voices: faint and rushing, purling and gurgling, muddy and clear. The child looks up. For the first time she can see the stars! She smiles at them, and the stars look back at her and shiver. Then they begin to burn brighter, with renewed fever, in the deep dark ocean of the sky.

Things in Jars was not at all something I would usually pick, but I am so glad I stepped outside my comfort zone and dived into this dark, gory, Victorian fantasy. I loved the characters, I loved the story, and I loved the details that the author included with respect to the medical establishment...even tho it would be a far stretch to call this "historical" fiction. The atmosphere that Kidd created was tremendous, and I loved that she conjured up settings of London, Liverpool, Dublin and other places without resorting to popular cliches that make Victorian settings such a drab in lesser books.

Despite the squalor, gory details of the scenes, the cruelty displayed, and the general meanness of some of the characters, there was a whole lot of warmth in this story, too, and that made the book for me.
Things in Jars was not perfect, but I really liked it.

As with all terrible, wondrous sights, there is a jolt of shock, then a hypnotic fascination, then the uneasy queasiness, then the whole thing starts again; the desire to look and the desire never to have looked in the first place.

[chymerra]

When I read the blurb for Things in Jars, I knew that I needed to read the book. A mystery set in Victorian England that had a paranormal/fantasy bent to it. Another thing going for this book is that I had read Himself by the author and loved it. So, yes, I was excited to read the book. I am glad that I did because Things in Jars were fantastic!!

Things in Jars had a great storyline. Bridie Devine is a female detective who takes on a case that she thinks will be easy. A 6-year-old girl has been kidnapped, and her father is frantic to get her back. But, as Bridie starts to investigate this story, she notices that things aren’t adding up. Then Bridie’s past collides with her present in a way that could derail her investigation. What is so special about that girl? Why are so many people after her? And what will happen when Bridie is forced to face her past?

The plotline for Things in Jars was lightning fast. That surprised me because when a book goes from past to present, there is always some lag. But not in this case. The author was able to keep up the pace of the plotline and seamlessly go from past to present. There are also no dropped characters or storylines. It made reading this book absolutely a joy!!

I am not a massive fan of when books got back and forth in time. But in this case, the author made it work. As Bridie investigated Christabel’s kidnapping, the author showed what it was like for Bridie growing up. It wasn’t pretty. There were parts of her childhood that made me want to hug her. The time spent in the Eames household, and what Gideon put her through was awful. But, it showed where she got her medical skills and how it shaped her into the woman she was in the present day.

The storyline with Christabel’s kidnapping was interesting. I liked it because I had to figure out if Christabel being a freak of nature was true or not. For a time, I did think that Christabel was an innocent child. But, then there was a crucial scene that involved snails and feet that changed my mind.

I liked that the author took the Irish myth of the Merrow and ran with it. I wasn’t familiar with that myth and spent some time reading about it after I finished the book. I loved it!!

I also loved how the author tied Bridie’s past and present together. There were a couple of people from her past that showed up, not including Ruby Doyle. I was surprised at how they were tied in.

I loved the paranormal angle of the book. I did feel that Ruby’s storyline was dragged on, and I did think, for a time, that his connection to Bridie was forgotten. But, it wasn’t, and the reveal was heartbreaking. I’ll admit, I cried.

The end of Things in Jars was nothing short of amazing. The author did a fantastic job of wrapping everything up. My heart broke a few times when reading the ending. I was wondering if there was going to be another book, but I don’t think so. If I’m wrong, that’s great. But the vibe I got was no.