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 her: 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.

 

The author wrote this novel when she was 19 years old and studying for her 'A' Levels. I suddenly feel very inadequate. When I was studying for my 'A' Levels, I was usually in the pub.

I cannot believe Oyeyemi wrote this when she was 19. I can't wait to check out her other books.

This has a pretty, literary cover and a pretty, literary title and so I thought it would be, at most, part of the Todorovan fantastic, maybe it is real and maybe it is imagined/insanity, which, honestly, I find one of the most boring conceits in all of literature most of the time. But no! There is an ACTUAL GHOST. Or perhaps not a ghost. But an actual supernatural being. Structurally, this is a very traditional ghost story. The prose is lovely, but my favorite thing is Jess and her reserve (must type up favorite quote). Her grandfather is also wonderful. The parents are very well done, too, you can see the gap between what they understand and what Jess understands, and they're not vilified at all. The ending's a bit abrupt.