#Book Review #ARC – The Attic Child; L. Jaye

Book review stop! Today I’m delighted to be the host for The Attic Child, a historical novel written by L. Jaye.

First thing first, let me thank Anne and the author for providing me with an e-copy of this book. Much obliged *hat tip*

MEET THE BOOK

A hauntingly powerful and emotionally charged novel about family secrets, love and loss, identity and belonging.

Two children trapped in the same attic, almost a century apart, bound by a shared secret.

Early 1900s London: Taken from his homeland, twelve-year-old Celestine spends most of the time locked away in the attic of a large house by the sea. The only time Celestine isn’t bound by confines of the small space is when he is acting as an unpaid servant to English explorer Sir Richard Babbington, As the years pass, he desperately clings on to memories of his family in Africa, even as he struggles to remember his mother’s face, and sometimes his real name . . .

1974: Lowra, a young orphan girl born into wealth and privilege whose fortunes have now changed, finds herself trapped in the same attic. Searching for a ray of light in the darkness of the attic, Lowra finds under the floorboards an old-fashioned pen, a porcelain doll, a beaded necklace, and a message carved on the wall, written in an unidentifiable language. Providing comfort for her when all hope is lost, these clues will lead her to uncover the secrets of the attic.

Historical
480 pages
William Morrow & Company
Publication date: 06/09/22
Purchase links

Amazon.com

READ MY REVIEW

Cover: Powerful, and the color palette compliments it nicely!

I think I happened over the proverbial golden pot today because The Attic Child is another awesome read. To be fair, I was hesitant at first because double timelines have become a bit of a burden for me: they’re hard to write, hard to read, and they carry an inner heaviness that’s just–uh. Not my thing anymore.

Jaye, however, did a tremendous job here. Her writing style is poignant yet delicate, crafting The Attic Child with slow, sure strokes. Every word has been chosen with care and delivered with a strength that leaves you staggering. Staggering while asking for more. Both her MCs, Dikembe and Lowra, are fantastic characters, alike in many ways but with their own voices.

The antagonists and the entire cast are well-written too, coming to life through Dikembe and Lowra’s POVs. First POV, yes, and done right. Maybe I’d be more mindful of the ‘I’ in certain places, I guess, even if the rhythm of the prose flows without a hitch.

What can I say? Jaye grabbed my two narrative pet peeves and used them to create a masterpiece. Consider me truly wowed.

5 stars on GR.

MEET THE AUTHOR

LOLA JAYE is an author and registered psychotherapist. She was born and raised in London and has lived in Nigeria and the United States. She has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Psychotherapy and Counselling. She has contributed to the sequel to the bestseller Lean In, penned by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, and has also written for the Huffington Post, CNN, Essence, HuffPost and the BBC.

She is a member of the Black Writers’ Guild and the author of five previous novels. The Attic Child is her first epic historical novel.

You can find Lola on Twitter @LolaJaye