In an era fervently pawing at the bounds of scientific and anatomical exploration, Jess Kidd introduces readers to an extraordinarily vivid Victorian London in her novel, Things in Jars. The story plunges us into an atmospheric tale that twists the gaslit streets with threads of folklore, fantasy, and a hint of the macabre.

The novel’s protagonist, Bridie Devine, is not your typical detective. She is a flame-haired, fiercely intelligent woman who smokes a pipe and carries a sharp wit as her weapon. Bridie is tasked with solving the mysterious kidnapping of Christabel Berwick, a child whose existence is as enigmatic as her purported supernatural abilities. Christabel, the hidden daughter of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, becomes the cynosure for a bespectacled and ruthless circle of collectors who view her more as a valuable specimen than a human being.

As Bridie delves deeper into the murky waters of this investigation, she is not alone; her path is embroidered with characters as richly drawn as the world they inhabit. From Ruby Doyle, a tattoo-covered ghost who shares an uncertain connection with Bridie, to the gentle giantess of a housemaid, Cora Butter, and the avuncular apothecary, Mr. Prudhoe. These characters not only add depth to the narrative but also illuminate Bridie’s own shadowed past, threading her memories through the story’s present struggles.

What makes Things in Jars incredibly enchanting is Kidd’s ability to balance the grotesque and the sublime. Her London is a fog-laden landscape where the grotesque becomes wondrous and vice versa. Kidd’s prose shimmers with the eerie beauty of a grimy city and captivates the reader with meticulously detailed descriptions that bring this odd, fantastical world to life.

However, Things in Jars transcends its plot and setting to pose profound questions about what it means to be human in a world that often values people as objects. Through Christabel’s character, Kidd challenges the Victorian, and by extension contemporary, commodification of the extraordinary, making a salient comment on exploitation and voyeurism.

The storyline of Bridie investigating Christabel’s disappearance serves as a robust scaffold for engaging with themes of self-identity, redemption, and the definition of humanity. Each revelation not only drives the plot forward but also deepens the reader’s investment in the characters’ personal stakes.

To encapsulate, Jess Kidd’s Things in Jars is an immersive narrative that confidently mixes elements of mystery, historical fiction, and magical realism. It is a concoction as heady as the Victorian fog it describes, offering both an enthralling tale and a thoughtful examination of societal and personal morals. Kidd’s novel is a must-read for those who find delight in the darker corners of history mingled with the sparkling threads of imaginative fiction. As such, it is a richly woven tapestry that proves irresistible till the last page.