The Icarus Girl [Paperback]

 

 

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Eight-year-old Jessamy Harrison, the daughter of a Nigerian mother and a British father, sometimes spends five or more hours hiding motionless in the family's linen closet, attempting to find some sort of "fragile peace." Prone to uncontrollable screaming fits, both at home and at school, she also has high fevers and panic attacks, and often talks to herself. Struggling with obvious emotional problems, Jess is a bright but lonely child, with no friends, a mother who spends most of her time writing, and a father who is away most of the day.

When her mother takes her to Nigeria during a school vacation, she sets in motion a series of events which ultimately leave Jess struggling to hold on to her selfhood. While visiting her Yoruban grandfather, Jess explores an abandoned building and discovers a strange girl her own age secretly living there. Titiola, whom Jess calls TillyTilly, becomes her first true friend, and though Jess explores the countryside with her, no one in her family ever sees her.

When Jess returns to school in England, her friend TillyTilly follows. Jess is delighted at first, but TillyTilly begins to monopolize her time, deliberately breaking things in the house, "getting" people who make Jess unhappy, and causing accidents. Jess's parents become alarmed at the havoc, especially when Jess insists that it is caused by her mysterious, unseen friend. Then TillyTilly reveals a family secret, and the battle begins in earnest for possession of Jess's soul.

Nigerian author Helen Oyeymi, who wrote this book when she was eighteen, incorporates aspects of Nigerian culture when Jess returns to Nigeria on a second visit. Oyeymi keeps the action fast-paced and creates considerable suspense as Jess, through TillyTilly, becomes physically dangerous to those around her. Only her Yoruban grandfather, who believes in magic and traditional ceremonies, seems to have the resources necessary to exorcize the demon.

The novel moves along smartly, developing tension and excitement by recreating many of the nightmares of childhood, though the author's simple approach to complex problems may reflect her youth. Jess, an eight-year-old, is far too sophisticated about TillyTilly and too articulate about her fears to inspire much reader empathy, and she never feels quite realistic, especially when she herself questions whether TillyTilly really exists. Both her ultimate battle with TillyTilly and the conclusion of the novel feel artificial. Still, Oyeyemi has created a psychological horror novel which dares to be different, incorporating a clash of cultures and parallels with the Icarus legend in this memorable debut novel. (3.5 stars) Mary Whipple

While this debut novel is certainly an impressive achievement for an 18-year-old writer, it's hard to escape the conclusion that purely on its own merits as a book, it's rather flat. Apparently partially inspired by the author's own troubles as a child, the story centers on the psychological problems of 8-year-old Jessamy. The lonely only child of a Nigerian woman and English father, she lives in the suburbs of Kent, England, and we meet her for the first time as she hides in a linen closet. The set-up is pure gothic lit, little Jessamy has been experiencing unexplainable fevers and tantrums and is considered "weird" at school. Events are set in motion when her family takes a trip to Nigeria to visit her mother's relatives. There she meets a local girl her own age named Titiola (aka TillyTilly) whom she befriends and who shows up on Jess's doorstep after they return to England. But is TillyTilly real?

Oyeyemi is being deliberately ambiguous with the material, but as TillyTilly becomes more and more a part of Jess's life, and goads her into acting out, the reader is forced to make a decision as to how to read the increasingly sinister events. One option for the reader is to believe that TillyTilly is purely imaginary and a construct of Jess's damaged psyche, and that all that follows is Jess's doing. Alternatively, one can read the story as being more gothicly supernatural -- TillyTilly is real, and can affect the physical world. In my book club, people split down the middle on how they took the story, but for me, the latter interpretation is the only way to get any pleasure from the story. Especially as we learn that Jess had a twin who died at childbirth and that in her mother's native Yoruba culture twins have a very special resonance and power. The reader is given glimpses and impressions of the importance of this cultural element, but it's never really spelled out in enough detail. Oyeyemi attempts to build suspense and tension by slowly raising the stakes, but the increasingly strange events seem to carry less consequence than they merit, and it generally just feels like more and more of the same until an awkward and rushed climax in Nigeria.

There are a number of other problems with the book. Although the author does a very nice job capturing the turbulent emotional world of a powerless 8-year-old girl, Jessamy is also far too insightful and learned at times (she's reading Hamlet, writing haikus, discoursing on Coleridge, etc.). Her parents are very poorly characterized, very flat and insubstantial, disappearing for large swathes of the story and remarkably inept and clueless when they are around. Given the fairly extreme and escalating behavior Jess exhibits, they express neither the concern nor urgency one might expect. Her therapist is equally flat, and it seems somewhat unlikely that his protocol would include letting clients roam around his house with his daughter (who is about the only other character with any life, a kind of bold and fearless type of little girl). Jess's Nigerian relatives are all standard-issue kindly, fun people, except for her grandfather, who has the potential to be interesting, but isn't given enough time to be fully developed. Ultimately, unless one is deeply into the mystical/gothic elements, the book is rather flat. The juxtaposition of Nigerian and English cultures doesn't really amount to very much (certainly not when compared to other "cross-cultural" novels, the most obvious example being Zadie Smith's "White Teeth"). The prose is fine, nothing special (granted, impressive for an 18-year-old), and there's really no reason I would recommend this to anyone. I wouldn't necessarily dissuade anyone from reading it, but there's just nothing particularly compelling about it.

Eight-year-old Jessamy Harrison, the daughter of a Nigerian mother and a British father, sometimes spends five or more hours hiding motionless in the family's linen closet, attempting to find some sort of "fragile peace." Prone to uncontrollable screaming fits, both at home and at school, she also has high fevers and panic attacks, and often talks to herself. Struggling with obvious emotional problems, Jess is a bright but lonely child, with no friends, a mother who spends most of her time writing, and a father who is away most of the day.

When her mother takes her to Nigeria during a school vacation, she sets in motion a series of events which ultimately leave Jess struggling to hold on to her selfhood. While visiting her Yoruban grandfather, Jess explores an abandoned building and discovers a strange girl her own age secretly living there. Titiola, whom Jess calls TillyTilly, becomes her first true friend, and though Jess explores the countryside with her, no one in her family ever sees her.

When Jess returns to school in England, her friend TillyTilly follows. Jess is delighted at first, but TillyTilly begins to monopolize her time, deliberately breaking things in the house, "getting" people who make Jess unhappy, and causing accidents. Jess's parents become alarmed at the havoc, especially when Jess insists that it is caused by her mysterious, unseen friend. Then TillyTilly reveals a family secret, and the battle begins in earnest for possession of Jess's soul.

Nigerian author Helen Oyeymi, who wrote this book when she was eighteen, incorporates aspects of Nigerian culture when Jess returns to Nigeria on a second visit. Oyeymi keeps the action fast-paced and creates considerable suspense as Jess, through TillyTilly, becomes physically dangerous to those around her. Only her Yoruban grandfather, who believes in magic and traditional ceremonies, seems to have the resources necessary to exorcize the demon.

The novel moves along smartly, developing tension and excitement by recreating many of the nightmares of childhood, though the author's simple approach to complex problems may reflect her youth. Jess, an eight-year-old, is far too sophisticated about TillyTilly and too articulate about her fears to inspire much reader empathy, and she never feels quite realistic, especially when she herself questions whether TillyTilly really exists. Both her ultimate battle with TillyTilly and the conclusion of the novel feel artificial. Still, Oyeyemi has created a psychological horror novel which dares to be different, incorporating a clash of cultures and parallels with the Icarus legend in this memorable debut novel. (3.5 stars) Mary Whipple

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4.0 out of 5 stars Impressive, but flawed debut novel
Eight-year-old Jess is bright, sensitive and prone to sudden screaming fits and strange convulsions that cause her to miss school. Read more

Published 7 months ago by quippe

4.0 out of 5 stars Be careful who you make friends with!
'The Icarus Girl' is a story about an eight year old girl Jessamy,who prefers poetry and hiding in small spaces than the company of others. Read more

Published on 12 Dec 2009 by Lou Frost

4.0 out of 5 stars I love it
I loved reading this book. It is mystical and deeply enthralling. I am very proud to have the author pretty much as a neighbour! Well, in the next borough...

Published on 17 Jun 2009 by A. Fritz

4.0 out of 5 stars Original and a good starter for ten.
One has to admire the author for having the inclination (and time) to write a book at her tender age. Read more

Published on 18 Nov 2008 by Bobby Smith

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed feelings
I thought this started off with great promise, and don't get me wrong it did hold me as a reader. But i seemed to lose it after a while, some of it just didn't make sense. Read more

Published on 28 May 2008 by book worm

3.0 out of 5 stars disturbing
This is a story of a little girl which starts out almost like a ghost story, but builds quite freakily into an alarming story of a child with mental health issues. Read more

Published on 29 Jan 2008 by rosie ringlet

4.0 out of 5 stars Chilling!
A chilling,complicated and fascinating story! At times I found it quite difficult to follow in regard to the Nigerian culture, but it was that same culture that made the novel... Read more

Published on 21 May 2007 by LindyLouMac

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic
I would just like to say that after having this book as part of my course at university, and after the author herself visiting and giving a talk on her book, i am even more... Read more

Published on 15 Mar 2007 by D. Ben-Yair

4.0 out of 5 stars A stirring debut book
Well, this book has certainly raised a few opinions. Having just finished reading this book, and reading the reviews below, I am going to sit somewhat on the fence... Read more

Published on 26 Jan 2007 by Uncle Moley

4.0 out of 5 stars "Once you let people know anything about what you think, you're dead."
Eight-year-old Jessamy Harrison, the daughter of a Nigerian mother and a British father, sometimes spends five or more hours hiding motionless in the family's linen closet,... Read more

Published on 5 Aug 2006 by Mary Whipple

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