First published 1999
Icy Sparks lives with her grandparents in rural Kentucky during the 1950s, her parents long gone. At ten years old, she faces challenges that go far beyond typical childhood struggles. Violent tics wrack her small body without warning. Curse words burst from her lips against her will. The tight community around her buzzes with theories about what ails the girl, but their speculation only deepens her shame. School becomes a battlefield of embarrassment. Neighbors whisper and stare. Her mysterious condition isolates her from other children and marks her as different in a place where fitting in matters deeply. As Icy grows into adolescence, she discovers friendship with an overweight woman who understands the pain of being cast aside. This unlikely bond offers Icy her first taste of acceptance. Now an adult looking back, Icy tells her own story of navigating the treacherous path from childhood to womanhood while carrying a burden no one around her can fully comprehend.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, coming-of-age, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: outsider, social-isolation
Setting: Kentucky
Period: 1950s
Paperback · Penguin Books
Content warnings: mental-illness