The Attic Child: A Novel by Lola Jaye
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Web ID: 1496648711 reviews
Elicits every human emotion
“Perhaps things aren't great. But however bad they seem, remember this, - where there is life there is hope. You're alive. Embrace this.” 1903, young Dikembe in the Congo, enjoys time with his father and brothers but especially his mama. He is unaware of the horrors happening just outside of his village. 1974, young Lowra also has a happy existence even though she lost her mom a few years earlier. Within a short time both of these children will have their lives upended and face tragedy, betrayal, loss and trauma that no one, of any age, should ever have to bear. This story is told from the point of view of both characters over several different time periods within their lives. There were several times that I felt the author digressed from the situation at hand to drive home the larger sentiment of the lasting effects of colonialism and racism. Those points are unequivocally important but they were done at times when it distracted from the scenario of the characters and caused me, the reader, to disconnect from the emotion that the storyline was pointing me towards. Also, though it may be a difference between British English and American English, there were some sentence structures that left me confused. Beyond that, I cannot find any fault with this novel. If you have ever wanted to feel the full spectrum of human emotions, read this book. Lola Jaye has written a masterful story and manages to see the perspective of even one incident through the eyes of every character, even though she herself could never have had any personal experience with those perspectives. It took me two days to read this novel because there wasn’t a moment where I didn’t hungrily crave to know what was going to happen next in the lives of these two characters.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
The Attic child , an intriguing title
I really in enjoyed reading the attic child , it was very engaging and I couldn’t put it down , I like the historical context and the way it was written , Lola Jaye is a great author and I am looking forward to reading another of her books, a must author for me!!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
must read book!!
In 1903, Dikembe is a young boy from Congo who stays with his mother while his father and brothers go to work. He is too young to be working with them. Unfortunately, his father has been killed and Dikembe inherits his father’s necklace. Shortly after, Dikembe’s mother tells him that he needs to go to England with her friend, Sir Richard Babbington. She tells him to be good and it’ll only be a month. After a grueling ship ride, Dikembe is told that he will be called Celestine from now on. Sir Richard takes care of Celestine with food, clothes, education, and a huge house. Fast forward to 1993, Lowra gets a phone call that she is inheriting her childhood home because her stepmother has passed away. She is only interested in a few items in the attic and wants to sell the rest of the items along with the house. She is told not to sell the house and it is a historical house and her family must have some sort of history with the house. Lorwa has no clue as her mother passed when she was young, her father remarried, but has passed away and did not give Lorwa much information. How do the 2 characters relate to each other? I couldn’t put this book down, especially after half way through when things just got so intense and I needed to know how the 2 characters’ stories mesh together. This book talks about how England has taken over Congo and many other countries. They just show up…claiming the land and people by saying that they are contributing to the development of the land. When Celestine is in England, he encounters racism. This book was a great way to learn more about colonization and how England spinned it like they were doing something good when no one asked for their help.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Story of resilience and hope
Dual POV, almost a century apart trapped in the same attic. Although it isn’t a true story it’s based on real events on the lives of people of Africa during that time. Some parts were heartbreaking and I appreciate that she left out graphic details. I hope this gets adapted into a movie
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
BOOK OF THE YEAR!
Ever since I bought/started this book six days ago, I could not put it down!! There are no words to describe how incredible and moving this book is. From the beginning, the author grasps you and pulls at your heartstrings as she takes you on a journey of life. The characters and this story will be ones I will never forget. This book definitely deserves to be a best-seller and if it ever became a movie, I'd watch it! This is one you just have to read for yourself. I'm happy to have come across it.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Poignant yet beautiful and powerful!
The story is narrated in a dual timeline, by the MCs, Dikembe and Lowra. This is a poignant, yet beautiful and powerful story of resilience. The No book is slower paced at time, which is necessary to fill in the backstories of these amazing characters. The characters were well developed with depth, emotion, sadness, and creatively constructed. Jaye does a wonderful job of constructing these characters with such grace, sadness, while their stories are uplifting. The author’s writing style was multifaceted in complexity, thought provoking, powerful, and kept me absolutely engaged. This story produced a rollercoaster of emotions for me. Child abuse is one of the most distasteful crimes I can think of, having two children myself, I cannot imagine hurting one of them intentionally. Even though this story stands at almost 500 pages, it is 500 pages of glorious writing. Some stories you read and some stories are so powerful, that you are immersed into the experience, which is the case with this book. You could feel the loss, sadness, and hope of these characters.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
This story will stay with the reader!
Mark this reader’s advice: this story will live with the reader for a long time. It is 1903, and Sir Richard Babbington, an English explorer, buys Dikembie from his mother. Sir Richard promises to give Dikembie a good life, Now known as Celestine, Sir Richard sends him to a good school. Problems start when Sir Richard passes away and the house with two stone lions located at the entrance is inherited by his relative.. She locks Celestine in the attic and he is made a servant. Sharing the attic some 90 years later is Lawra, a young girl, being raised by a couple who forces her to stay in the attic. She discovers a necklace and an old doll under the floor boards in the attic. The story is told by Celestine and Lowra in alternating chapters. There were several times that I needed to put this book down to think about what I was reading before starting again. Lola Jaye’s writing made me feel like I was right beside both Celestine and Lowra. Both are survivors, and I love how their stories came together. I think this book would make an excellent book club choice. My thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
The Historical Fiction Book You Must Read in 2022!
A magnificent deep dive into the atrocities of colonialism and the complex layers of racism throughout generations. It’s also a beautiful story of love, loss, identity and belonging. Don’t let the 400+ pages intimidate you. I devoured this book within days. Lola’s writing feels warm with touches of humor, and the right amount of “have things changed that much in present day?” without taking away from the story. I believe fiction should do 2 things — give you unforgettable characters and make you think and / or educate you on a culture, lived experience, or slice of life moment. This book does it all.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com