Little Spark by Jess Kidd

Little Spark by Jess Kidd

A SUNDAY TIMES HISTORICAL FICTION PICK 2026

'A sumptuous Gothic mystery' NAT REEVE, author of NETTLEBLACK
'Kidd has imagination to die for' Guardian

A secret cannot stay locked away forever

Bodkin Bell, orphan, pickpocket and survivor, doesn't know where she came from, but she knows she's different. Gaslights flare as she walks past. Cutlery spins. Shocks fly from her fingertips.

For years, she was 'Little Spark', the star of an electrifying travelling act - until it went too far and she ended up in a London gaol.

Now she's been offered a way out. A chance to serve at Point Mote, a vast, desolate house marooned on the misty Kent marshes. There, she will assist a reclusive family of cunning inventors in the creation of automata: miraculous, lifelike machines for which gentlemen collectors will pay handsomely.

But this house of wonders hides mysteries too. As Bodkin starts to question why she is really there, she unearths secrets that have been buried bone-deep for years - and a truth beyond all imagining. One that was never meant to be found.

Praise for Jess Kidd: Lyrical, haunting, a beautiful and elegant fictional interpretation of history, I loved it -- KATE MOSSE
Utterly mesmerising. . A triumph. Kidd's imagination - her ability to imagine a world more magical, darker, richer than our own - is a thing of wonder * * New York Times Book Review * *
Majestic . . . Kidd packs the story with superb characters, high emotion and drama . . . this gripping story ebbs and bobs with surprises from Kidd's sparkling imagination * * Independent * *
The ambition and execution of The Night Ship is breathtaking! Sweet and grim, epic and domestic - I loved it . . . readers are in for a treat -- GRAHAM NORTON
[A] marvellous, spirited novel * * Financial Times * *
Jess Kidd's extraordinary evocation of a place gruesome with ghosts and the stranglehold of the past is nothing short of brilliant. I loved it -- HANNAH KENT

Jess Kidd was brought up in London as part of a large family from County Mayo. She is the author of several acclaimed novels for adults including Himself, The Hoarder, Things in Jars and The Night Ship, and a book for children, Everyday Magic. In 2017, Kidd won the Costa Short Story Award and in 2020 she was picked by The Times as one of the best emerging Irish writers.

@JessKiddHerself | jesskidd.com

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781838856557
ISBN 10	1838856552
Title	Little Spark
Author	Jess Kidd
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Canongate Books
Year published	2026-08-13
Number of pages	352
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.