Helen Oyeyemi’s The Icarus Girl: Review Essay

An exotic country, magical beings, and a girls journey to find fri demolitionship is plainly a minuscule appreciation into what The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi has to offer. As I read the story I discovered that there is a ofttimes deeper meaning than what is on the surface. My purpose is to inform the reader ab prohibited how I interpreted the story controversy and why I did so. I nominate that this novel presented a iron standardised perceptivity into other(a) cultures, great character depth and an overall piquant story. Jessamy Harrison is a integrity of the most intriguing characters that I h grizzly ever so confronted in a throw. On the first day of my read Jessamy seemed identical any other 8 year old. She was virtuoso of the types that is always unexpended but arent all 8 year olds curious.Jessamy or Jess for short would always be the one to ask spotways. Jess could never pronounce a word right and was any aver geezerhood little kid. Jess being an octet ye ar old made the story rattling relatable to me because I hold up at least three cousins at that age. turn reading the book I did question why Helen Oyeyemi decided to put Jess at such a young age. The conclusion that I came to make ab pop out that question is that she cherished to keep Jess innocent. Through the entire book Jess does not in all understand what is happening just about her. She shows her innocence in many cause throughout this book. Jess does not like it when there is not a keen ending so she likes to change books.When her mother asked why she changes books Jess replied Well its not a proper story if e rattlingone is miserable. (62). When she was asked what she destinyed to be when she grows up she said she valued to fly. She did not want to fly planes she just wanted to fly. Jess is a young girl but she is very troubled. When ever she gets into a tight situation she just screams. She always seems to be in the whizzs office. Jess really does not harbor a ny friends until she travels to Nigeria. While pickings time off in Nigeria Jess meets a girl named Titiola. Jess at the age of eight it is difficult for her pronounce Titiolas name. Eventually Jess gives up on trying to say her name and decides to call her TillyTilly.By chance the one girl Jess makes friends with has special powers. Jess postt explain it and does not ask questions. TillyTilly is very mysterious and we do not learn much about her until after into the story. I started to question why Jess never really questions how TillyTilly elicit do these magical acts. If magic were going on around me I would really wonder how it is happening. Later into the story Jess has to travel make to her home in England. Jess has to settle patronise into the groove of school. She said her goodbyes to TillyTilly but does not want to leave without her one friend. One day after school Jess turns around and there is TillyTilly.This is where I was extremely confused in this book. This girl wa s just in Nigeria and then just shows up in England. Jess does not even out question how or why TillyTilly an eight-year-old girl travels 4200 miles. That sounded a little left over(p) to me. That scene I progress to come to conclude was the reason for Helen Oyeyemi do Jess eight years old. A lonely eight year old does not question where a friend came from. All Jess knows is she was lonely and wanted a friend. Jess wants to bring TillyTilly to school to show her off but Tilly says no one push aside know about her. The abutting day Jess way out to school and gets into even more trouble than usual.Her parents tell her she has to attend therapy. TillyTilly was very hesitant of letting Jess go. She had to make sure no one found out about her. TillyTilly said, He wont help you, Jessy. on that pointll only be trouble. (127). When Jess goes to meet the doctor she meets his daughter Siobhan. Jess and her have much in common and they become real friends. This is Jess first friend oth er than TillyTilly. One day Jess became very ill and was stuck in bed. TillyTilly came to visit. This visit was not any other visit. Jess learned a very sad truth. TillyTilly told Jess that she had a twin sister named Fern that died at birth. Jess becomes very upset with her parents for not presentment her. When she told her parents they were just wondering how she came to find out.She declines to tell them. Her parents know of TillyTilly but they have never actual met her. This was the climax of the whole story. Jess finds out a mystical past that she had no idea of until now. By now Jess has found out that TillyTilly is not a normal eight-year-old girl. TillyTilly always tries to have Jess back like a sister. She always says, We should get her (98). She means hurt that person because they have wronged Tilly or Jess. She shattered Jess moms computer and a reflect in the bathroom. She also pushed Jess friend down the stairs. That was when Jess finally figured out that TillyTilly was not as nice as she thought.TillyTilly would always get Jess into trouble. earlier in the story the broke into an amusement park and they broke into Jess rivals house. Jess also has to take the blame for all of Tillys faults. Jess can never get smart and learn that TillyTilly is bad news. At the end of the book the whole family travels back to Nigeria to celebrate Jessamys ninth birthday. While she is there she starts to lose her faith in TillyTilly. Jess does not know if she can trust her. The next day, Jess starts to learn Yoruba the native language of her family.Everyone is excited for her and her grandad wants to speak to her in Yoruba. For some odd reason Jess told him to leave her alone. He became very upset with her and her father and grandpa started a huge fight. The next day there was a huge tragedy. Jessamy was riding in the back seat of a car with no seat belt. They had a head on collision and she was knocked out.The story ends with Jess standing up to TillyTilly and Jess finally took control. In all honesty this was not a book I would have picked up on my own and started to read. It ended up being a real page-turner and I really enjoyed it. This book had some great insight into different cultures and how the cultures interacted. This book told a great story about how a girl even a little one at that can eventually overcome trouble. That is a lesson everyone can learn from. No one likes having his or her life run by someone else. It is best to pull round life with a positive outlook and hope for the best.