The Icarus Girl

ACCLAIM FOR HELEN OYEYEMI’S THE ICARUS GIRL

“Remarkable. . A beautifully written and hauntingly memorable debut novel. . The most vivid, sharply etched, and authentic writing is firmly centered in reality, in the heart-breaking descriptions of a young mixed-race child grappling not only with cultural dislocation, but with the tribulations of growing up and self-identity in a complicated world.”

— The Boston Globe

“[A] self-assured story about the hazards and mysteries of coming of age between two complex cultures.” —Elle

“Dazzling. . [A] haunting story of redemption and revenge.”

— Essence

“Oyeyemi deftly weaves Nigerian mythology and magic realism into a suspenseful, lyrical — and sometimes funny — tale that leads to an unpredictable finish.” —Newsweek

“Almost transcendent, a seamless weaving of Greek myth, Yoruba folklore and the cosmopolitan sensibility of modern-day London. The result is a suave, satisfying, well-crafted psychological thriller.” —The Plain Dealer

“The Icarus Girl is an astonishing achievement.”

— The Sunday Telegraph (London)

“Oyeyemi looks set to claim her own place in a list of English-language Nigerian authors that includes Amos Tutuola, Chinua Achebe and, more recently, Ben Okri.”

— Financial Times (London)

“The Icarus Girl is a beautifully imagined and lyrically executed novel. At turns dark and funny, it is always balanced by an expansive light. Oyeyemi is a gifted writer.”

— Chris Abani, author of GraceLand

“A chilling story about the anguish of separation from all that should be most familiar and dear.” —The Times (London)

“A wonderfully ambitious debut in a formidable tradition.”

— The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“The Icarus Girl introduces an extraordinary talent in Oyeyemi.”

— The Orlando Sentinel

“Remarkable.” —Black Issues Book Review

“A strong début. . Oyeyemi is able to modulate from the skittish internal landscape of an unbalanced child to an altogether more menacing psychological pursuit with a confident voice.” — The Independent (London)

“The Icarus Girl is a dark enchantment that leads readers into the recesses of a young girl’s fevered psyche. A bewitching tale of childhood joy and wonder, pain, loss, and cultural estrangement.” —Kerri Sakamoto, author of The Electrical Field and One Hundred Million Hearts

“Utterly compelling. . It is a testimony to Helen Oyeyemi’s power that the reader is left breathlessly hopeful until the very end, and that hope is richly rewarded.” —The Times-Picayune