The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint

Book Description

In his stunning works of magic and danger in the modern world, Charles de Lint has brought an entire imaginary North American city to vivid life: Newford, where magic lights the dark streets, myths walk clothed in modern shapes, and a broad cast of extraordinary people work to keep the whole world turning. At the center of it all stands a young artist named Jilly Coppercorn, with her tangled hair and paint-splattered jeans, whose paintings capture the hidden beings that dwell in the city’s shadows.

Now, at last, de Lint tells Jilly’s own story; for behind the painter’s fey charm lies a dark secret that she’s labored to forget. “I’m the onion girl,” Jilly Coppercorn says. “Pull back the layers of my life, and you won’t find anything at the core. Just a broken child. A hollow girl. She’s very, very good at running – but the past has come to claim her now.”

Review

The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint is one of those books I’ll think of long after finishing it. It’s a contemporary fantasy with a deep emotional core, blending magic with tough themes like trauma and healing. The writing is lyrical and peppered with a magic that transcends culture and genre.

The story centers on Jilly Coppercorn, a character from de Lint’s Newford series, who’s been through more than her fair share of hardship. After a hit-and-run accident leaves Jilly physically broken, she finds escape in a dreamland where her body isn’t a limitation. It’s here she’s forced to face not just the magical elements of this new world, but also the ghosts of her painful past.

In The Onion Girl, de Lint weaves the fantastical with real-world issues like childhood trauma, abuse, and forgiveness. The dreamlands offer Jilly an escape and a chance to heal, but the novel never sugarcoats the harshness of her reality. The title is fitting—Jilly’s journey is about peeling back layers of her life and exploring her vulnerabilities and relationships in ways that are both beautiful and heart-wrenching. One of these relationships is that of Jilly’s estranged sister, Raylene, whose own troubled history adds yet another level of emotional depth.

I first found de Lint’s writing when I was looking into novels featuring art-based magic. Many of his meticulously crafted protagonists are creatives who must wrestle with how their art and magic entwines with their traumatic baggage. The writing in The Onion Girl is wonderful; descriptive, evocative, and immersive. The Onion Girl is no different. It’s a heartfelt story about resilience, the power of community, and how art can transform our lives.

If you’re into contemporary fantasy that digs into deeply personal themes, The Onion Girl is definitely one to check out.

Content Warning

Addiction, Child Abuse, Drugs, Explicit Language, Gun Violence, Incest, Injury, Kidnapping, Paralysis, Prostitution, Rape, Violence

The header photo is a composite image. Base image by Margaret Jaszowska on Unsplash