In a Nutshell: A dual timeline historical fiction covering the shared trauma of two children in an attic, separated by almost a century. Compelling plot, excellent writing, powerful themes and research. Definitely recommended. (Just in case you thought this is a slave narrative, it is not so. Rather, not a typical one anyway.)

Plot Preview:
1907. Twelve-year-old Dikembe assumes that he is being sent by his mother along with the white man named Sir Richard Babbington for a month-long educational trip to England. Little does he know that he is to be renamed Celestine, and because of a change in circumstances, he will soon become an unpaid servant. Locked in the attic when he is not working, Celestine can only dream about his family while wondering how he can return to them.
1970s. Lowra, a young orphan whose familial wealth and privilege doesn’t save her from being banished to the same attic, discovers an old porcelain doll and a bone necklace under the floorboards, and an illegible sentence scribbled behind an old cupboard. These give her solace, letting her know that there was another child in the attic, probably many years before.
What does the future hold in store for these two attic children? Are their lives connected in any way beyond the attic?
The story comes to us in the first person perspectives of Dikembe (as Celestine) and Lowra.

Bookish Yays:
🤩 The stress on this quote by Chinua Achebe: “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” Heck, yeah!
🤩 This is not a typical slave narrative, as I had mistakenly assumed because of the cover. The difference lies not just in the country (usual slave narratives are based in the US) but also in the circumstances (Dikembe’s experiences are in a city, not a plantation, AND his initial days in England aren’t the kind we typically see in such fiction) and also in the later trajectory (Dikembe’s story goes much beyond his days as an unpaid labourer.) I always love historical fiction books that cover an angle not often taken and end up raising a lot of thoughts in my head.
🤩 Dikembe is one heck of a character. I don’t want to go into spoilers, but suffice it to say, I learnt a lot from his arc.
🤩 Lowra’s timeline is also strong, though not as impactful as Dikembe’s, for obvious reasons. Her sad situation in childhood, her ignorance of her privilege, her quest to learn more about the artefacts she discovered – all make her arc an interesting one. Plus, she is a realistic character – a bit awkward and a loner because of her childhood trauma. She isn’t easy to warm towards, but she performs her role well.
🤩 The story covers plenty of thought-provoking themes, including family secrets, intergenerational trauma, child abuse, alternative perspectives of captivity, feminism, racial discrimination, bigotry, and colonialism. The author handles most of them deftly. Just a couple of the themes feel a bit heavyhanded, but they are still relevant to the core storyline and hence not an issue.
🤩 The book includes several historical snippets of the Congo, which add depth to Dikembe’s arc.
🤩 Lowra’s timeline includes an interesting Black historian named Monty, whose backstory enhances the punch created by the core plot. Most of their arc doesn’t build towards a romance, which is always a plus in my book.
🤩 I was way more invested in Dikembe’s arc, but as Lowra’s timeline focussed mostly on finding out what happened to ‘Celestine’, the two timelines kept me equally invested.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
😐 Seeing a good part of this story from a child's perspective makes the experience more poignant. Dikembe’s blissful ignorance of what's to come and his innocence that was soon shattered act as a bittersweet filter of the harsh truth. Lowra’s younger years , in comparison, feel somewhat glossed over. Though we get to see her trauma too in bits and pieces, the why’s of her abuse don’t come out convincingly. Her backstory should have been better sketched, especially as it was the foundation to the whole plot. In fact, even in Dikembe’s arc, the negative female character felt too stereotypical, except in one scene where she seems to break character, because of which that scene didn’t really make sense to me.
😐 The final few chapters seem a bit dragged, and a tad overdramatic. These could have been edited a bit tighter. The rest of the book goes by steadily.

Bookish Nays:
😒 I wasn’t satisfied with the ‘connection” between the two characters – it was too farfetched and felt forced.

All in all, I did enjoy this story a lot. Despite some areas in which it could have worked better, I was still invested throughout the proceedings. It reminded me of why I love historical fiction so much, and that’s the best compliment I can pay to the book.

Definitely recommended to all historical fiction lovers. Do note that some of the content is extremely triggering.

4.25 stars.

My thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Attic Child”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This book is such an important read. The story is told over a dual timeline. The story is so emotional.
The characters were so well developed and likeable.
This book will stay with me for a very long time

I love a story with dual timelines. There is something so wonderfully satisfying about when it all comes together. The Attic Child follows the stories of Dikembe in the early 1900s and Lowra in the 1980s. It's not an easy book to read as it features some topics that some readers may find troubling (i.e. racism, human trafficking, and colonialism), but I still found it very enjoyable. Overall, I thought the length could've been cut down as it started to drag at the end.

Definitely a book that I would recommend if you're a fan of historical fiction and I've heard that the audiobook is really good too!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

This book was excellent and so much more than I expected. It would be easy to assume that this book might just be like any other book detailing the horrors slavery and colonialism (black trauma porn) but it is soon much more than that. This is historical fiction at its finest. This book educates and highlights some of the lesser know facts or less talked about issues from that period of time and connects it with more modern day (trigger warning) child abuse/neglect. This book is painful and heart-wrenching but is also very clever in getting you to think about what racism and abuse are and how they are often hidden in plan sight. But,this is also a story about love and family. An absolutely fantastic book that will stay with me for a long time, One of 2022 stand out reads. I highly recommend you add this to your TBR list!

Wow
This book told the stories of two different people who both spent time in the same attic at different periods of time, I loved how the story of each person become intertwined.
The book had me both happy and sad for them the way in which it was written was great I would recommend this book and will be reading more from this author.
Thank you for the chance to read this amazing book.

Sometimes you get to the end of a book and you’re so overwhelmed by the depth, the emotion and the brilliance of it that you are physically incapable of doing anything until you have recovered.

This was one of those books.

The story follows two timelines; that of Dikembe, a young boy from the Congo who is bought as a ‘companion’ to a rich Englishman at the beginning of the 20th Century; and of Lowra, a young woman in the 1990s who stumbles across his story and is determined to learn more. Their lives intersect more than Lowra could ever have imagined, and it becomes her mission to make sure Dikembe’s story is heard.

Just as Lowra slowly uncovers Dikembe’s story, it is revealed to us alongside her. There are times that you hope desperately for what you think is true not to be true and there are times that we’re a few steps ahead of her, but from the early chapters you can’t help but be desperate to know his story. This kind of story, where little nuggets are slowly revealed to the reader, is extremely hard to do so well, and Lola Jaye has mastered it.

One of the strongest themes of the book is the importance of telling people’s stories, and of making sure that history doesn’t just remember the victors. Both Lowra and the historian she enlists to help her, Monty, have their own reasons for finding out what happened to Dikembe, but ultimately it is for Dikembe’s own sake that they make sure his story is heard. While Dikembe is a fictional character, Jaye uses his story to shed light on a little-known period of Black British history, and explores the way in which Black history is perceived in Britain.

This is a truly brilliant book, excellently crafted, and one that stays with the reader long after you reach the final page.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Lawra is a decidedly dysfunctional young woman, and this because of an abusive stepmother. On the day her stepmother dies, Lawra is forced to return to the old family home to deal with its sale, and she takes the opportunity to go to the attic to retrieve some objects she had found during the long days she was locked in there. They are a necklace of clear African origin, a very old doll and some papers. Trying to make sense of these objects, Lawra embarks on a very complicated search that leads her to discover a chilling story dating back to the early 1900s, namely that of Celestine, born Dikembe, snatched from his homeland by a supposed patron who brought him to Europe and made him study to prove that African children could be educated.
The plot continually moves between past and present, descending into ever deeper abysses of violence and abuse, yet leads to a future, albeit barely hinted at, of reconciliation and, perhaps, happiness.
A very well-written book indeed, also and above all thanks to the choice made by the author to write about history, the horrendous history of colonialism in Africa, using historical characters as a model but without making them protagonists, which allowed her greater freedom in exploring the typical European colonialist mentality and motivations.

This was a moving and harrowing read, with a dual timeline to thread two stories together.
The story of Dikembe is a powerful one to start with, and as the story moved to Lowra, I found myself wanting to go back to Dikembe.
The two characters are warm and likeable, and I loved how the attic was the common thing to join them together, separated by many years.
and the ending has stayed with me some several months after finishing it.

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

Dikembe Kabili is the youngest in his family. To give him what she feels will be a better life his mother let him be taken away to be educated. Unfortunately, this doesn’t go to plan and within a few years his name has been changed to Celestine and he spends most of his time locked in an attic room of a large house by the sea.

Decades later, Lowra, a young orphan girl born into wealth and privilege, is banished to the same attic. Lying under the floorboards of the room is an old porcelain doll, an unusual, beaded claw necklace and, most curiously, a sentence etched on the wall behind an old cupboard, written in an unidentifiable language. Artefacts that will offer her a strange kind of comfort, and lead her to believe that she was not the first child to be imprisoned there

The Attic Child is an amazing book. I loved the characters of Dikembe(Celeste) and Lowra. Their young lives were not lives that any child should have to live. Despite being incredibly sad at times The Attic Child showed me how someone's character and strength can change their path in life. I found it very uplifting.

Lola Jaye has written a stunning story with such emotion and empathy. A beautifully, powerful book that deserves 5 Stars.

The Attic Child is a dual narrative book written from the points of view of two children trapped in the same attic in completely different times and circumstances. This was such a good book. I love historical fiction, especially when it is about eras/ situations that I previously knew nothing about and this was definitely one of those books. It was so well researched and so compelling in its narrative that not only did I love reading it but I felt that I learned too. A really enjoyable read and perfect for any fans of historical fiction. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

There are many silent people out there, through choice, through historical events or through fear.

Abuse, racism, identity and displacement, it’s here, right here within these pages.

Dikembe, his story was so sad.

So was Lowly.

Each 90 years apart. Each within the confines of the attic.

This is told in interment chapters.

Dikembe, a man thought to buy him as a pony.

I’m nearly 64 and in school this sort of thing was taught in history class, yes, the slaves, the treatment that the White people used these humans for, despicable.
It’s history.
Learn from it.

I never understood it and I don’t now!

In this book, who has the right to be virtuous, controlling, superior and treat others who they feel are no consequences?

Lowly.
90 years later.
Had things changed?
He was the next child in the same attic.

Why are they connected?
Does Lowly know about the last child in the attic?
Does he know what happened to him?
What will happen to himself?
How did they get there?
Who put them there?why?

This is such a powerful story.

Survival, and a beautiful twist at the end that will break your heart.
Emotional.

Thank you to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for having me along in the tour and gifting me a copy of the book.

Thanks to Lola Jaye for writing such a beautiful book.

You may or may not know but Lola was inspired by a picture, displayed at the National Portrait Gallery, of a young boy name Ndugu M'Hali who lived in Edwardian Britain. I have included his picture in the slides.

If you are looking for a read that transitions seemlessly between two narratives and absorbs and encapsulates you in their world, then THIS is the book for you.

This is the first book I have read by Lola Jaye but she does not seem to shy away from difficult subject and highlighting issues that are all too often brushed off.

The two story line separated by 7 decades in time, miles in geographic location but intertwined so beautifully and expertly. I loved both timelines so much and could not pick one over the other.

I wish there was more of this story. This should be on everyone’s TBR list - it’s something that can and will open peoples minds and hearts.

The Attic Child examines strong themes in a bold way. Themes such as history and how we need to uncover truth. The abusive acts of nations through colonialism, oppression and cruelty. How false racial and gender stereotypes lead to wrongfully framing the good and the bad. How the legacy of abuse causes deep wounds and trauma but there is healing to be found through rediscovering the value of self. These themes are the backbone of this book and are in much need of telling the stories of.
However, I did find the plot construction clunky and contrived. It lacked subtlety and nuance and I did feel hit over the head with a sledgehammer at times by Jaye in her desperation to wave her banner for the worthy causes she wanted to highlight. It was all framed around the issues rather than the creativity of a innovative story and this marred my enjoyment of the book somewhat.
With thanks to NetGalley and Panmacmillan for this digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

A great exploration of the cruelties of colonialism and the realities of race, especially when you don't know your own history and you don't "look" like your heritage. I loved the fact that Dikembe's story travelled through so many historical periods that are familiar to us all, and ends in modern-day London. These atrocities were still happening in living memory and really weren't that long ago at all. Also a great opportunity to re-examine who we consider historical heroes in the name of "research"...

Celestine Babbington is recorded for history in a silent form, photographed wearing clothes he didn’t choose and posing with a man whose relationship to him is very problematic. The man, Richard Babbington, is a rich explorer who has a love for Africa and a large mansion house in England. Yet by 1907, Celestine is being kept in the attic of the house, only allowed out to work as a domestic slave.

Years later, a young girl called Lowra is suffering the same fate. Locked in the attic as punishment for any transgression, her fate has been left in the hands of her stepmother. After her mother died, Lowry’s dad remarried and from that day on her life was punctuated by spells of abuse. While locked in the attic she finds an unusual necklace with clawed hands, unlike anything she’s seen before. There’s also an old-fashioned porcelain doll and a sentence on the wall, written in an unfamiliar language, and these are her only comfort. Almost as if the person that owned them is with her in some way. As an adult, her stepmothers abuse still affects her and she’s conflicted when she inherits Babbington’s house. People seem to think she’s lucky and the town is proud of this intrepid explorer. Looking into the house’s history leads her to an exhibition of Babbington’s life, where she sees photographs of Babbington and a young black boy wearing an African wrap and what looks like her necklace, the one from the attic. However, the thing that keeps Lowra transfixed, is the young boy’s eyes. Lowra sees someone filled with sorrow, a fellow sufferer of the darkness inside that house. His name is Celestine Babbington. Lowra wants to find out more about this boy, how he came to be in England and what happened to him after Babbington’s death. She enlists the help of a history specialist called Monty, who has an interest in stories that have not been told, particularly those of empire. Together they start their search for the attic child.

I think anyone who talks about the glory of our empire should be encouraged to read this book. It’s fitting that the opening quote of the book is from the incredible author Chinua Achebe, because his novel Things Fall Apart is a perfect companion to this tale. This time the story is partially told by the most innocent victim of our Victorian forays into Africa, a child called Dikembe who is largely ignorant of exactly what atrocities are being carried out by the Belgian forces plundering the natural resources of his homeland. At the time of Dikembe’s childhood, his homeland was named the Belgian Congo, a large area of Africa known as Zaire, then the Democratic Republic of Congo. Very few Europeans had reached this area of Africa, known for tropical diseases like sleeping sickness. King Leopold of Belgium had urged the Belgian Government to colonise the country, but when they stalled their efforts he decided to take charge himself. He took ownership of the country and named it the Congo Free State in 1885, using his private army the Force Publique to press gang Congolese men and boys to work for him in the production of rubber. No one knows the exact population of the country at this time, but due to exploitation and the exposure to new diseases it is estimated that up to ten million native people died during Leopold’s rule of the country. Dikembe is young enough to stay at Jim’s with his mother, but he envies his brothers who go off to work with their father every morning. His parents keep him ignorant of the way native workers were treated so it is an utter shock when his father is killed one day. Richard Babbington, based on Henry Morton Stanley, expresses an interest in Dikembe. He wants to take him back to England and turn him into a gentleman and his companion. Ridden with grief and terrified about what could happen to her youngest son, his mother agrees, knowing this may be the only way to keep him safe. Although his intentions seem pure, isn’t this just another form of colonisation?

I found both children’s circumstances heartbreaking and could see that they might have an affinity, with Lowra seeing something in the photographs that is probably echoed in her own eyes. I thought the two character narrative worked really well here. All of the characters are so well crafted that they pulled me into their stories and didn’t let go till the end. We’re with Lowra and Monty on their quest, finding out more about Dikembe’s story and experiencing the effect these revelations have on all the characters. It’s moving to see Monty identifying with Dikembe and feeling emotional pain from the injustices he has gone through. Monty still experiences racism and oppression, just in different ways and Lowra can’t be part of that even though she has empathy for how Monty feels. Lowra can feel an instant kinship with Dikembe over the abuse they’ve suffered and those lonely hours in the dark of the attic. I also liked how Monty and Lowre worked together and slowly come to know each other by being honest about their pasts and what effect their life experiences have had on them mentally. Lola Jaye has managed to engage the emotions, but also educate me at the same time, because I didn’t know much about the Belgian empire or King Leopold’s exploitation and murder of the Congolese population. However, it was those complex issues of identity and privilege that really came across to me, especially in the character of Richard Babbington. His arrogant assumption that he could give Dikembe a better life is privilege in action, as Dikembe soon finds out that he’s a womanising drunk and the companionship he spoke of only works one way. All he does bestow is money, for clothes and school, but all Dikembe craves is the warmth and love of his mother calling him a ‘good child’. The way this need for love and comfort was also exploited made me cry. I was desperately hoping that by the end, these terrible injustices didn’t stop him living his life to the full, including embracing happiness when the chance came his way. We see this play out for Lowra during the novel, can she ever accept that she is worthy of love? The story doesn’t pull it’s punches so I felt angry, then I felt sad, but somehow the author has managed to make the overall message one of hope. Hope in the resilience of the human spirit.

Synopsis
The Attic Child is a dual narrative book written from the points of view of two children trapped in the same attic in completely different times and circumstances. One point of view follows a 12 year old boy in the early 1900’s taken from his home in Africa to be a companion to Sir Richard Babbington. The story follows Dikembe as he yearns for his mother and brothers back home whilst trying to survive in a world that treats him so cruelly. The second point of view follows Lowra, a once privileged girl who upon becoming orphaned was locked away in the same attic. In a time of complete darkness Lowra looks anywhere she can for glimmers of hope and finds that hope in a carved message on the wall leading her to a loose floorboard home to some personal treasures left by someone before her, little does she know exactly where those treasured items will leave her and the truths that she will find.

My Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book, it is the first of Lola Jaye’s works that I have read and I will definitely be picking up more of her work as the writing flowed seamlessly even when flipping between the two points of view. I often find with dual narratives I get a lot more into one side of the story than the other but the way in which the two timelines were knitted together meant that I was equally invested in both sides of the story on this one.
I thought the way in which this book was written was so brave, it explored so many tough topics both those dated way back in the early 1900’s as well as the more ‘modern’ issues of the 1970’s.

I found this book completely heart breaking, the way in which it was written brought every element of the story to life and at times this was completely harrowing- I found myself having to step away to breathe whilst being desperate to pick it up again to find what happened next.

I think the span of the issues explored was really incredible and I thought the way it shone a spotlight on a lot of issues that often get brushed under the carpet was really important: from the danger and misrepresentation of museum exhibits to the ‘Congo Free State’ and the exploitation of people that happened during that time, Jaye didn’t shy away from portraying the issues in all of those things and although I found it completely heartbreaking I also found that it was such a powerful element of the novel.

Something that this book gave that was completely unique was the way in which it found a perfect balance. At times this book felt relentlessly brutal to read, I found myself cringing and recoiling at the thought of the things happening to not only these characters but the real people the characters represent and was so sad to learn that Dikembe’s character was based on a real person. Despite this complete sadness this story hit me with there was not a single time in the book that I felt without hope or without light.

My only complaint about this book is that it wasn’t longer, I felt so connected to these characters I could have read forever about them and know that they have found their way into my heart.

Overall I thought this book was executed perfectly and wonderfully. It was heart breaking and heart mending all at the same time. It demonstrating the power of resilience and light against all of the darkness in the world which has never felt like a more pertinent message at this time.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautiful story! I was not prepared for the wealth of emotions this book evoked in me.

The way this story is told - from the perspective of both Dikembe and Lowra, who share a unique tragedy despite being born roughly 70 years apart on different continents - works really well and it's enticing to see their individual story lines slowly but surely being threaded together.

Dikembe's story, as well as Lowra's, is full of loss, tragedy and pain, and yet it's also a story of love, compassion and belonging. It's beautifully told and the author does an amazing job at speaking for the lion, not the hunter. I'm very glad I got to learn more about that little boy, his roots, how the world saw him and how, against all odds, he managed to prevail.

Can highly recommend!

Dikembe and Lowra, born almost a century apart and on different continents both find themselves locked in the same attic. After Lowra discovers some hidden items under a floorboard in the attic she sets about finding who they belonged to and uncovers long buried truths and connections she never expected.

This is an Incredibly moving and powerful story about human endurance and the ability to love despite so much suffering and trauma. Everything that Dikembe and Lowra go through in this book is going to stay with me forever. This book broke my heart into a million pieces and then slowly put it back together again.

The story is extremely gripping and so well written but parts were very upsetting at times and it’s by far one of the most distressing books I’ve read. It’s not one to go into lightly so I would recommend checking the TW’s on this one before picking it up. Having said that I can’t rate it highly enough, if you like historical fiction that’s on the darker, more gritty side then this one isn’t to be missed.

Trigger warnings: violence, child abuse, slavery, racism

I've just finished reading The Attic Child and I'm litterally crying my eyes out: what a beautiful, compelling, emotional, heart-breaking book this is!
I was hooked by the gorgeous writing style right from the start and I actually didn't want it to finish despite the almost 500 pages. I feel like I'm still inside the book, inside Dikembe's and Lowra's minds, and I think I will be here for quite some time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly this book was not for me. I found it difficult to relate to the characters and if I am honest I have read enough on similar issues. I needed something uplifting.