Summary
Reflection and review of the YA novel Icarus as read for RealLit book club during the Spring 2024 quarter.
Real Lit is a book club put on by the University of Washington, Tacoma once a quarter and focuses on Young Adult fiction centering diverse perspectives, protagonists, and stories. During Spring term, the group read Icarus by K. Ancrum. If your heart sped up and images of smoke and wings and unforgiving ocean waves flashed behind your eyes upon seeing the title of this book… you’re not alone. However, I can promise you that while this book will play with all of those associations and anticipation of heartbreak, it will not be what you expect.
Enter: Icarus himself. A boy with a strange set of skills, a habit of holding people at arm’s length, and a home life revolving around heists. That is, art heists. His father is a man obsessed- obsessed with revenge, with his art, with destroying the art of his most hated ghost. On one such heist, Icarus finds his subterfuge interrupted by Helios, the newly returned (read, sequestered in house-arrest) son of the man they’re stealing from. This encounter sets the two boys on a path of uncovering their parents’ past, forging their own world from those ashes, and learning what it means to find the person you’re born for.
The official blurb for the book reads:
“Icarus Gallagher is a thief.
He steals priceless art and replaces it with his father’s impeccable forgeries. For years, one man—the wealthy Mr. Black—has been their target, revenge for his role in the death of Icarus’s mother. To keep their secret, Icarus adheres to his own strict rules to keep people, and feelings, at bay: Don’t let anyone close. Don’t let anyone touch you. And, above all, don’t get caught.
Until one night, he does. Not by Mr. Black, but by his mysterious son, Helios, now living under house arrest in the Black mansion. Instead of turning Icarus in, Helios bargains for something even more dangerous—a friendship that breaks every single one of Icarus’s rules.
As reluctance and distrust become closeness and something more, they uncover the bars of the gilded cage that has trapped both of their families for years. One Icarus is determined to escape. But his father’s thirst for revenge shows no sign of fading, and soon it may force Icarus to choose: the escape he’s dreamed of, or the boy he’s come to love. Reaching for both could be his greatest triumph—or it could be his downfall.”
In Ao3 speak, the tags for this book might resemble:
Icarus/Helios, Icarus & Luca, Icarus & Celestina, Icarus & Luca & Celestina, Greek myth retelling, Modern AU, High School AU, art heists, Angus Gallagher’s A+ parenting, “you think i would know art and not know this?”, touch starved, Catholic guilt, “they all hated me” Goob (Meet the Robinsons) & Icarus (Icarus), oblivious!Icarus, Icarus is lonely af, Julian is done with this shit, everyone has blurry boundaries, seriously is Luca in love or just into homoerotic friendship, pining!Helios, ballerina!Helios, intersex character, Drugs/opioids, Icarus will come to your party but he’ll be dressed like a 50s grandpa, everyone’s in love with Icarus, is art real, daddy issues are also real, sneaking in the window, boys in love, author has adhd, kindness is cool, depression lives here
For those of you that missed the middle school obsession with Greek mythology (thank you, Percy Jackson) and are unfamiliar with the story of Icarus, here are the broad strokes.
Daedalus is a genius inventor and craftsman said to rival even the god Hephestus. He is trapped by the greedy and fearful King Minos and forced to create increasingly miraculous and rare things including the infamous Labyrinth haunted by the Minoutar. Increasingly desperate to escape and save his son from a life in the same prison, Daedalus crafts two sets of wings. With the feathers held together by wax and strapped to the body, the only thing standing between them and their escape is the hot gaze of the sun. Even though Daedalus warns Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, his son is intoxicated by his first taste of freedom. So much so, that he doesn’t notice the wax melting from his wings. When Daedalus reaches the shore and turns in ecstasy to celebrate with his son, it’s only to see the remains of the wings sinking under the waves of the ocean.
(If you’re a musical theater nerd, you might recognize Icarus from the allusion in Hamilton made in the song “Burn”. Eliza sings,
“Do you know what Angelica said,
When she read what you’d done?
She said, “You have married an Icarus,
He has flown too close to the sun.””)
Our conversations around this book started with the font. It is jarring! Similar to the font here, every letter is tall, a tiny bit too close for comfort, bordering on claustrophobic. This styling choice, taken in conjunction with the chapter lengths became essential to the tone of the story. They mirror Icarus’ internal life- he feels trapped, walking the knife’s edge of wanting more and having to stay in the half-life his father has built for them. He’s trapped by his age, the need to finish school, the fear of getting too close to anyone, the anxiety of being caught on a job. Every chapter is simultaneously too short, like a breath you can’t quite catch and the short length pushes you into the next and the next and the next until you’ve forgotten to breathe at all. The knowledge that the story of Icarus ends with a fall only heightens the wild feeling of reading.
Which brings me to our next theme of conversation- how Ancrum plays with the reader’s knowledge and expectation of the Icarus myth. With every piece of information about their world revealed, there’s an impulse to try and match it against the players in the myth. We especially had fun with the names of the characters. Icarus feels obvious- the sun of a mad genius. The mad genius in question posed a conundrum for us though, Angus and the fact that his name was not Deadalus sowed the first seed of doubt (and hope) that maybe this story wouldn’t play out in the way of its predecessor. Angus’ obsession also has a different focus than his Greek myth counterpart- while Deadalus of the myth was desperate to plot an escape from the confines of Minos’ castle and build a new life for his son, Angus is in a prison of his own making and uses his son as a tool in the making of revenge upon Mr. Black. And here, we see the fascinating mirror of Mr. Black and Helios.
Another father and son, also surrounded by art but art bought and collected rather than made and restored. Their house is cavernous, described in unfathomable twists and turns and turrets akin to a labyrinth itself. Is Mr. Black the moon? Or an eclipse to kill Helios’ light? Is he the king or the violent sea itself? Could Icarus’ chosen acquaintance-friends in each class be mapped onto other Greek gods and heroes? What’s the significance either way?
While we didn’t come up with definitive answers for any of this, we did have a ball discussing the possible answers. This is one of those books where the questions are so intriguing that the need to find answers falls by the wayside.
Over the course of 9 weeks, we of course touched on too many things to recount in full here. However, there is one last point that came up almost every week that feels worth pondering one more time here. I mentioned earlier that there’s a distinct confusion of boundaries between characters that lends an air of Romance to the story and makes it almost unbearably intimate. This is especially true for interactions between Icarus, Luca, and Celestina. For Icarus, every touch he experiences is felt with his entire body. He doesn’t initiate touch and, in equal parts, fears and craves it from those around him. He also feels invisible- and it’s not just that he feels that way but he’s spent his life believing that he must be invisible. To be seen by anyone is an act of intimacy that he’s unprepared for. Because he has no framework, foundation, or frame of reference for being close to other people, every step towards someone takes on a gravity, a Romance, an emotional weight that transcends the platonic while never daring to label itself romantic love. Maybe it’s just love. And to try and give it a descriptor defeats the purpose of the vague overwhelm that characterized the book.
In this description, I’ve used Romance with a capital “R” in an attempt to speak to the Romantic nature of this book. Yes, there is the traditional romance expected of YA love including stolen kisses and whispered confessions. But there is also an element of the sublime permeating this novel. Dipped in the world of art and colored with the drama of teenage angst, Icarus explores a space of emotion that supersedes rationality- it’s a collision of the subjective and the oppressive “objective” reality which rules the characters.
We’ve collected some reviews, quotes, reflections, etc. from our Real Lit participants to give you a window into our world of the last 10 weeks! If you’ve read the book, want to read the book (you can check out a copy from the UW Library here), or have general thoughts on retelling Greek myths, or general outrage at the tragedy of this particular myth, we want to hear about it! Add a comment!
IN REVIEW:
“This story is a soul-moving journey of finding the ability to be vulnerable and held by friends and chosen family. The retelling of the Icarus narrative sparkles, soars, and simultaneously makes one weep. The author gently explores disability justice, examines queerness, and shines a bright light on what holds families together, and what tears them apart.” –Anonymous
“It’s a daring, thrilling, crushing, ultimately heart-warming revisionist take on the Greek tragedy of Icarus, but in this version he’s an art thief carrying out his father’s bidding one work at a time. He feels empty inside and no wonder: Icarus can’t risk his father’s high-cost deceptive practice by any means, so he follows all the rules, all the time–especially keeping people at an arm’s length. At least until he meets Helios, that is. The son of the story’s antagonist and Icarus’s father’s long-time enemy, Helios might just be his downfall, or his best heist yet.
This story was heart-wrenching, particularly in regards to the mental, emotional and physical pains Icarus and Helios both experience. I really felt for them when reading about their different forms of confinement and was so moved at their support for one another and for and by their friends. I likewise felt compassion for Icarus’s father, which was somewhat of a surprise! Overall, this story also proved hopeful, which is something we could all use a bit more of these days.
Lovely work that shines a light on the truly irreplicable value of human connection!” –Cat
“Reading this was an exercise in patience that I barely passed. I was reading this for a book club and it was actually tortuous to have to put the book down every week.
Everything about this book begs to be devoured: the length of the chapters (sections?), the narrow racing of the font, the breathlessness with which Icarus plunges through life.
And even though it went against all the whispers in my brain telling me to keep going going going, I’m so glad that I did savor this book.
Not only is it about art- art heists, the making of art, the loving of art, the obsessive side of art- but it IS a work of art. The way this kid speaks makes me occupy my body differently, just as I would when experiencing a painting that moves my soul.
My point is… you should read this book!!! –Lauryn
“It’s about an angsty teenage boy—Icarus—who is tasked by his father to steal valuable pieces of art from Mr. Black. However, everything changes when Icarus meets Helios. I felt very swept up, on the edge of my seat, and I felt very connected to all of the characters, which kept me deeply invested. I loved the way that this novel compared to the original myth of Icarus—the way those parallels showed up in a modern setting was really interesting to read about.” –Rosemary
I WOULD recommend this book because:
“It’s a wonderfully moving tale about the power of friendship, the importance of acceptance and the bravery of love. It highlights how damaging loneliness and isolation can be to both us as well as those around us and how critical it is that we all reach out to people in our lives, no matter what we may think they are or are not going through.” –Cat
“It was perfectly paced, the prose completely drew me in, and it was an overall wonderful story of finding yourself and finding your people. It was very easy to relate to the characters, and I loved the way all of the relationships were written.” –Rosemary
QUOTES:
“He’d never had this. More than two people he liked being together around him, it felt so easy. It was worth it. It was all that he imagined it to be.”
“You were made the same way as angels” (p. 250). This is such a beautiful way to describe someone who is intersex. But more than that, it’s a beautiful way to describe someone who embodies strength and caring and love, all qualities that Helios has in abundance.
“And wasn’t that just the way?
Angus Gallagher shut tight like a sarcophagus. Icarus Gallagher, eyes open, mouth open, waiting” (3).
“‘Oh.’
‘Yeah, oh'” (114).
“‘Climbing into my house, into my bed, touching everything except for me I was yours before we even met and I’ll be yours until we die,’ Helios continued against the curve of Icarus’s neck and Icarus was helpless, lost in the sharp fantasy of such a thing.
… ‘If you’re such a good thief, then why haven’t you stolen me yet?’ The words tore themselves from him and Icarus didn’t know
He wanted to tell him, wanted to cry out that if Helios was made for him, then Icarus had learned to steal just for this” (275).
“You think I would know art and not know this?”
“I was yours before we even met and I’ll be yours until we die.”