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liralen 's review for:
The Icarus Girl
by Helen Oyeyemi
Interesting. Much like Jessy's desire to know the basics of British fairytales so that she can understand her classmates better, I could have used a primer on Yoruba mythology—not necessary to understand the shape of the book, but, you know. Curiosity! (I knew a tiny bit about twin superstition in parts of Africa—stemming, I'm afraid, from reading [b:The Power Of One|4936988|The Power Of One|Bryce Courtenay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1223330200l/4936988._SX50_.jpg|649656] when I was in high school—but now I'm curious about how those superstitions and myths and fairytales translate across borders and cultures and subcultures; South Africa is a long way from Nigeria.)
The book picked up for me in the second half—though I'm not sure I could really tell you why—before crash-landing at the end. I could have used a bit more movement throughout, I think: it's not long before TillyTilly is an uneasy force but much longer before anything happens to jar Jessy out of...complacency? Unwillingness to push back? And I am curious, in retrospect, about what it means that Jessy's problems (fear, screaming) start before TillyTilly's appearance.
Still, it captures a unique intersection of childhood—that sense of possibility combined with being, to adults, an unreliable narrator just by dint of one's age.
The book picked up for me in the second half—though I'm not sure I could really tell you why—before crash-landing at the end. I could have used a bit more movement throughout, I think: it's not long before TillyTilly is an uneasy force but much longer before anything happens to jar Jessy out of...complacency? Unwillingness to push back? And I am curious, in retrospect, about what it means that Jessy's problems (fear, screaming) start before TillyTilly's appearance.
Still, it captures a unique intersection of childhood—that sense of possibility combined with being, to adults, an unreliable narrator just by dint of one's age.