Truly creepy and definitely not something I’ve read before. I was very interested in the glimpses of Yoruban Nigerian culture and system of beliefs. Jessamy’s point of view was compelling, and my feelings toward her went from tender to traumatized to terrified and back again. Though I found the narrative oddly meandering and episodic and the ending abrupt and unsatisfying, I would still recommend this for its utterly believable child’s narrative voice and its utterly believable horror. ( )

I seem to have gone in reverse order, reading Oyeyemi’s latest book first, and reading her first novel second, but at least I was a bit more prepared for the oddness of her narratives this time around. Once again, her chosen protagonist is a young, troubled girl, but the supernatural elements of the story played a more central role in exploring the themes around psychology and childhood behaviour. It is unclear whether Jessamy is truly schizophrenic (I don’t think so), or whether her demons are a part of the outside world and have latched on to her since she is the only person who can see them. Her story starts out simply enough, with a trip to Nigeria to visit her mother’s extended family, but Jessamy develops a friendship with a girl who it seems pretty clear to readers is not of this world. I’m no expert on African mythology, but the idea of deceased family members (especially twins) coming back as ghostly beings of varying power is common to most mythos and it was immediately clear that Titiola was some sort of familiar spirit who had latched on to Jessamy. At the beginning of the story she seems friendly enough, but Jess is an isolated child at this point, and once she begins to stand up for herself against the schoolyard bully, get counselling for her behavioural problems, and makes a real friend the behavior of Titiola becomes increasingly unpredictable and selfish. The climax of the story comes in waves of sorts, as Jessamy realizes that Titiola is not looking out for her best interests and is uncontrollable, but Oyeyemi leaves readers on the edge of their seats as the story ends with Jess gathering her psychological strength to face her rival in the midst of a coma but not revealing the outcome. In some ways I’m annoyed by this ending, but it leaves me in mind of the often unrealized finales of most fairytales whose conclusions have been lost to time, so ultimately I’m left rather enjoying this tale. ( )

Deliciously creepy. I was underwhelmed by the ending, though. I would like to have known more about TillyTilly. Obviously, the Grandfather knew SOMETHING. It felt that there was a rich story buried in there and I wish it had been further explored. ( )

Odd story. The writing was good but I didn't care for the characters. ( )

There was a touch of 'magical realism' about this book, and normally that would put me off right from the start, but in this case once we got to the bit where Jess and her friend TillyTilly are invisible and poking around in the house of the school bully, I was gripped. It didn't matter how improbable the whole thing was, it was top entertainment!

I liked the way the story touched on Nigerian culture, particularly surrounding the birth of twins, however I wish this area had been explored more, rather than the endless stream of supernatural incidents which the book became. ( )