Gwyn Hyman Rubio offers us a chance to explore the subject of
difference with ICY SPARKS, her charming tale of a little girl
bewildered by the onset of Tourette's Syndrome. Growing up in the
rural Kentucky Mountains of the 1950s, Icy Sparks is a bright,
savvy 10-year-old. Suddenly overwhelmed with urges to jerk, croak
and pop out her eyes, she is dismayed and baffled at the things her
body does without her permission.In a
voice which candidly conveys her frustration, Icy describes her
first compulsion: "I could feel little invisible rubber bands
fastened to my eyelids, pulled tight through my brain, and attached
to the back of my head. Every few seconds, a crank behind my head
turned slowly. With each turn, the rubber bands yanked harder, and
the space inside my head grew smaller." Rubio maintains this fresh
voice and astutely descriptive language throughout the book. She
also gives Icy and her small circle of companions --- her
grandparents and her older friend Miss Emily --- the same warm, dry
sense of humor typically found in Southern novels such as THE LORDS
OF DISCIPLINE and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. These moments of levity
lighten the difficult scenes where Icy retreats to her
grandparents' cellar to hide her ticks and her brief stay at the
Bluegrass State Hospital.Those of us who neither have a neurological disorder, nor know
someone who has, may find it difficult to understand the plight of
a person given to strange outbursts and gestures. ICY SPARKS brings
home the fear and shame of a once "normal" person trying
desperately to fit back in. During her stay at Bluegrass, Icy meets
several children with different disorders including severe cerebral
palsy. Under the tutelage of a kindhearted aide, she learns to
accept people who are different.But
this doesn't seem to help Icy very much once she returns home.
Permanently dismissed from the public school, Icy shuns everyone
except her grandparents and Miss Emily, who is now her teacher. Icy
limits her world to the family homestead and the woodlands around
it, out of fear of having an episode and being jeered at.
Eventually loneliness and a chance meeting with a former schoolmate
provide Icy with a semblance of a preadolescent romantic life.
Unfortunately, her fits --- often brought on when she is excited
--- cause her new love to join the rest of the community in
shunning her.It
is disappointing to watch a young girl spend her teen years without
a single friend her own age. What was the point of sending Icy away
to a mental institution if she was to return with the same problem
and a sense of shame so complete she becomes a virtual
recluse?Also
confusing is Icy's tendency to lie. She frequently daydreams silly
stories then tries to convince people that they are true, such as
declaring that her vicious 4th grade teacher is a woodpecker by
night. This happens so often, and the motivation is so unclear,
that it is difficult to tell if this is being attributed to the
Tourette's or not. Rubio's style which is frank and insightful in
both dialogue and narration, falls short in explanation for these
actions.However disappointing her decisions, Icy is feisty character.
When pushed too far by her teacher she has a fit in which she
repeatedly shouts "Piss on you!" and "Mean ole bitch." When Miss
Emily assures Icy that her disorder makes her an outcast just like
Miss Emily's own obesity --- "You must accept the fact that touch
isn't possible for people like us. We might be liked. We might even
earn a town respect. But we're different --- too different. We
exist beyond the comfort of touch.," Icy becomes determined to be
loved by someone.During a country revival meeting Icy finally discovers her
pacifier, the thing which allows her to overcome her ticks and
croaks and be accepted by others: singing. The pivotal scene will
not reform any skeptics of revival meetings but it will bring
satisfaction as Icy regains her lost confidence.ICY
SPARKS is a warm story about appearances, secrets and truth.
Through one girl's difficult journey we get the opportunity to see
the world through the eyes of an unwilling outcast who still
harbors a great deal of hope.