‘Onion Girl’ reveals many layers
February 4, 2009 by Adriana Janovich
Filed under Reviews
By MORGAN PUALANI
UNLEASHED STAFF
“The Onion Girl” by Charles de Lint is a story of and about layers.
The book is split into two stories that eventually merge into one. It’s about magic and faeries, and starts — rather appropriately considering the subject matter — with the class opener, “Once upon a time … ”
What comes after, though, isn’t nearly so nostalgic.
The story follows Jilly Coppercorn, an extremely talented artist from Newford who is paralyzed on the right side of her body from a hit-and-run. Though this leaves her without the ability to draw, she now is able to access the dream world she’s only heard about. In this reality, she is a whole person, not the broken girl she left behind. The more she crosses over, the harder it is for her to return to herself in the “World As It Is” — and the smaller chance she has to recover fully.
The novel also follows Raylene Carter, self-described white trash, who — with some advice and a switch blade from her friend Pinky — scares her bother away one night and gets a taste of power.
Her story jumps from city to city following a stream of less than legal career choices and an eventual need for revenge, not against her sorry excuse of a brother, but against her older sister who left her in his hands. The lives of these two sisters are trails of tragedy and heartbreak.
With Raylene out for Jilly’s blood, I would like to say their eventual meeting was the climax of the book, but that really doesn’t happen.
De Lint manages to combine folklore, an urban setting, and a mix of characters without it resulting in an absolute tangle. The story makes you consider the different levels of perception and how it affects your beliefs.
The book does include violence, foul language and some intense situations. Thankfully, these are balanced by some carefree spirits.
I highly recommend “The Onion Girl” to anyone who holds a secret belief in faeries or is quite open-minded.
— Morgan Pualani is a member of the Yakima Herald-Republic’s Unleashed team. She attends Davis High School.
