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The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi
The Blurb On The Back:
Jessamy Harrison is eight years old. Sensitive, whimsical, possessed of a powerful imagination, she spends hours writing, reading or simply hiding in the dark warmth of the airing cupboard. As the half-and-half child of an English father and a Nigerian mother, Jess just can’t shake off the feeling of being alone wherever she goes, and other kids are wary of her terrified fits of screaming. When she is taken to her mother’s family compound in Nigeria, she encounters Titiola, a ragged little girl her own age. It seems that at last Jess has found someone who will understand her. TillyTilly, as Jess calls her, knows secrets both big and small. But as she shows Jess just how easy it is to hurt those around her, Jess begins to realise that she doesn’t know who TillyTilly is at all.
Eight-year-old Jess is bright, sensitive and prone to sudden screaming fits and strange convulsions that cause her to miss school. Her Nigerian mother and English father don’t know the cause and worry that she doesn’t play with other children or seem interested in the normal things that kids do.
During a visit to her mother’s family in Nigeria, Jess meets Titiola, a ragged girl living in an abandoned building in the family compound. The two become friends, but Jess slowly learns that there’s something strange about Titiola (or TillyTilly) - no one else can see her and TillyTilly does magical things such as entering locked rooms. None of this matters to Jess, not when TillyTilly seems to understand her so completely, right down to her secrets and the secrets of those around her. But when TillyTilly begins hurting people on Jess’s behalf, Jess realises that there’s a darker side to her friend, especially when TillyTilly starts making her own demands of Jess …
Helen Oyeyemi’s debut novel was written when she was studying for her A Levels and it’s an impressive achievement for someone so young.
At the heart of this story is a girl caught between two cultures. Jess is very intelligent and insightful (perhaps a little too much for her age) but lacks insight into her fits and convulsions. She’s lonely but doesn’t try to make friends with others. It’s therefore easy to see why she’s drawn to TillyTilly and the promises she makes. The best scenes in the book come early in that friendship as Jess finally does the things other girls do and lets loose with her rebellious side.
Oyeyemi handles the supernatural elements well and while the reveal as to TillyTilly’s true motives is telegraphed too early, the slow build up of tension is effective. I also liked the scenes involving Jess’s Nigerian family and their relationship with Jess’s white father, which have a natural feel.
However there are pacing problems with the book, particularly in the middle, which becomes too repetitive as Oyeyemi makes heavy use of a twinning device. Plus the fact that Jess is so slow to catch on to what TillyTilly wants was irritating at times and I felt that Oyeyemi skirted the battle between western science and Nigerian tradition.
It’s not a perfect book but it is worth checking out and I will be reading more from this talented author.
The Verdict:
Written when Helen Oyeyemi was studying for her A Levels, this is an impressive if flawed literary debut centred on an eight-year-old girl caught between two cultures. There are sinister supernatural overtones and some tense scenes, but the pace flags at times and some of the literary devices used (particularly that of twinning) are overdone. It’s still worth a look though and I’ll definitely be looking for more from this author.
Jessamy Harrison is eight years old. Sensitive, whimsical, possessed of a powerful imagination, she spends hours writing, reading or simply hiding in the dark warmth of the airing cupboard. As the half-and-half child of an English father and a Nigerian mother, Jess just can’t shake off the feeling of being alone wherever she goes, and other kids are wary of her terrified fits of screaming. When she is taken to her mother’s family compound in Nigeria, she encounters Titiola, a ragged little girl her own age. It seems that at last Jess has found someone who will understand her. TillyTilly, as Jess calls her, knows secrets both big and small. But as she shows Jess just how easy it is to hurt those around her, Jess begins to realise that she doesn’t know who TillyTilly is at all.
Eight-year-old Jess is bright, sensitive and prone to sudden screaming fits and strange convulsions that cause her to miss school. Her Nigerian mother and English father don’t know the cause and worry that she doesn’t play with other children or seem interested in the normal things that kids do.
During a visit to her mother’s family in Nigeria, Jess meets Titiola, a ragged girl living in an abandoned building in the family compound. The two become friends, but Jess slowly learns that there’s something strange about Titiola (or TillyTilly) - no one else can see her and TillyTilly does magical things such as entering locked rooms. None of this matters to Jess, not when TillyTilly seems to understand her so completely, right down to her secrets and the secrets of those around her. But when TillyTilly begins hurting people on Jess’s behalf, Jess realises that there’s a darker side to her friend, especially when TillyTilly starts making her own demands of Jess …
Helen Oyeyemi’s debut novel was written when she was studying for her A Levels and it’s an impressive achievement for someone so young.
At the heart of this story is a girl caught between two cultures. Jess is very intelligent and insightful (perhaps a little too much for her age) but lacks insight into her fits and convulsions. She’s lonely but doesn’t try to make friends with others. It’s therefore easy to see why she’s drawn to TillyTilly and the promises she makes. The best scenes in the book come early in that friendship as Jess finally does the things other girls do and lets loose with her rebellious side.
Oyeyemi handles the supernatural elements well and while the reveal as to TillyTilly’s true motives is telegraphed too early, the slow build up of tension is effective. I also liked the scenes involving Jess’s Nigerian family and their relationship with Jess’s white father, which have a natural feel.
However there are pacing problems with the book, particularly in the middle, which becomes too repetitive as Oyeyemi makes heavy use of a twinning device. Plus the fact that Jess is so slow to catch on to what TillyTilly wants was irritating at times and I felt that Oyeyemi skirted the battle between western science and Nigerian tradition.
It’s not a perfect book but it is worth checking out and I will be reading more from this talented author.
The Verdict:
Written when Helen Oyeyemi was studying for her A Levels, this is an impressive if flawed literary debut centred on an eight-year-old girl caught between two cultures. There are sinister supernatural overtones and some tense scenes, but the pace flags at times and some of the literary devices used (particularly that of twinning) are overdone. It’s still worth a look though and I’ll definitely be looking for more from this author.