Icy Sparks

by Gwyn Hyman Rubio

In 1950s rural Kentucky, orphaned Icy Sparks lives with her grandparents.  But her life changes for the worse when she is suddenly overcome by violent tics and uncontrolled cursing that remains a mystery to everyone around her.  She finds solace in her grandparents and her fellow outcast Miss Emily, but loses out on most of her childhood while her afflication goes undiagnosed.

This is an Oprah's Book Club book.  I thought I had read them all, but must have missed this one.  I enjoyed about 3/4 of this book, as Icy struggles with her disorder and spends time in a mental institution for children.  However, I felt like the last 1/4 of the book dragged as Icy returns home, where she has no one but her grandparents and Miss Emily.  The bottom line is that Icy isn't diagnosed until the Epilogue, which leaves her twisting in the wind so to speak with a disorder that no one, least of all her, understands.