The Icarus Girl
2005
First Published
3.64
Average Rating
338
Number of Pages
The audacious first novel from the award-winning and highly acclaimed Helen Oyeyemi. Jessamy “Jess” Harrison, age eight, is the child of an English father and a Nigerian mother. Possessed of an extraordinary imagination, she has a hard time fitting in at school. It is only when she visits Nigeria for the first time that she makes a friend who understands a ragged little girl named TillyTilly. But soon TillyTilly’s visits become more disturbing, until Jess realizes she doesn’t actually know who her friend is at all. Drawing on Nigerian mythology, Helen Oyeyemi presents a striking variation on the classic literary theme of doubles—both real and spiritual—in this lyrical and bold debut.
Avg Rating
3.64
Number of Ratings
5,366
5 STARS
20%
4 STARS
37%
3 STARS
33%
2 STARS
9%
1 STARS
2%
goodreads
Author
Helen Oyeyemi
Author · 12 books
Helen Oyeyemi is a British novelist. She lives in Prague with an ever-increasing perfume wardrobe- let’s just say the bottle count exceeds 150 but is less than 300- and has written ten books so far, none of which involve ‘magical realism’. (Can’t fiction sometimes get extra fictional without being called such names?!) Number One Daydream these days: writing a novel or story that inspires a fragrance.
