The Icarus Girl: A Novel
Helen Oyeyemi
Hardcover
(Nan A. Talese, June 21, 2005)
âThe Icarus Girl is an astonishing achievement.â âSunday Telegraph (London)Jessamy âJessâ Harrison is eight years old. Sensitive, whimsical, possessed of an extraordinary and powerful imagination, she spends hours writing haiku, reading Shakespeare, or simply hiding in the dark warmth of the airing cupboard. As the child of an English father and a Nigerian mother, Jess just canât shake off the feeling of being alone wherever she goes, and the other kids in her class are wary of her tendency to succumb to terrified fits of screaming. Believing that a change from her English environment might be the perfect antidote to Jessâs alarming mood swings, her parents whisk her off to Nigeria for the first time where she meets her motherâs familyâincluding her formidable grandfather.Jessâs adjustment to Nigeria is only beginning when she encounters Titiola, or TillyTilly, a ragged little girl her own age. To Jess, it seems that, at last, she has found someone who will understand her. But gradually, TillyTillyâs visits become more disturbing, making Jess start to realize that she doesnât know who TillyTilly is at all.Helen Oyeyemi draws on Nigerian mythology to present a strikingly original variation on a classic literary theme: the existence of "doubles," both real and spiritual, who play havoc with our perceptions and our lives. Lyrical, haunting, and compelling, The Icarus Girl is a story of twins and ghosts, of a little girl growing up between cultures and colors. It heralds the arrival of a remarkable new talent.