This is one of the best books I've ever read. I couldn't put it down and was finishing it at midnight last night with swirls of emotions.

Thank you to Kensington Books and BTC Books for this ARC.

A young woman who was locked in an attic as a child seeks answers to the mystery of another child kept in the attic decades earlier.

This is the moving account of two children, ninety years apart, trapped in the attic of the same home, told from their alternating points of view. In the early 1900s Dikembe is brought from the Congo to London by explorer Sir Richard Babbington. He is renamed Celestine, educated and serves as companion to Babbington. After the explorer dies, relatives treat him as a servant and lock him in the attic at night. In 1974 Lowry, an orphan from a well-off family is abused by relatives and locked in the same attic. She discovers mysterious writing on the wall and a hidden, pen, doll, and beaded necklace. Years later she sees an old photo of a young black boy with the beaded necklace and starts an investigation to find out about his identity. The story skillfully portrays the resilience of the two as they reclaim their identities and uncover family secrets buried under the evils of colonialism, racism, and child abuse.

Two stories come together as one “attic child” realizes there was another before her. What a heartbreaking, beautiful story about racism over the centuries. In the past, nine-year-old Dikembe is taken from the Congo area to be the companion to a British explorer. 90 years later, Lowra, who is struggling through every day life, decides to find out more about the odd hidden objects she discovered under the attic floorboards. Each of these character’s stories drew me in from the start and what an emotional ride they take you on as the stories of both their childhoods unfold. This is definitely a story that will stay with you for a long time. Highly recommend!

This book was a 4.5 stars, almost perfect.

LIKES:
1) dual timelines. What an amazing tale of Dikimbe (Celestine) and Lowra. Finding out about them and their attic story was truly enjoyable
2) black authors telling black stories. I just really enjoyed learning about the early 1900’s in England. Not the best time there either, but we really don’t hear a lot of that.
3) Monty and Tilly. They were the best secondary characters. You felt for both of them in their own way and I thought they added so much to the MCs
Not much more I can say without spoilers…

DISLIKES:
1) it took me a minutes to really get into it and have feeling for or about the MCs. But once I did I was hooked
2) where I loved the epilogue the ending chapters dragged out a bit. I’m glad it wasn’t a rush ending, but it definitely was a bit slower at the end

This story is one of strength, survival, and character. I preferred Dikembe's story to Lowra's. However, each had horrible things happen to them. And for me personally, I could have done without the vein that connected the two. The story gives the reader an insight of the barbarity of colonialism that occurred in the African continent. The white-washing and omittance of these horrific actions in the place of history is heartbreaking. This book will certainly leave the reader with a strong message.
Thank you to #BookClubGirl for an electronic copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Attic Child was truly a spectacular book and it's honestly one of my favorite books I ever read. The story was so tragically beautiful. The characters were written in a way that made me feel every once of their sadness and happiness. It's hard to put my thoughts into coherent sentences because all I want to say it "GO READ THIS BOOK NOW". But seriously, go read this book.

In The Attic Child, two children endure the same horrible fate nearly a century apart. Both are unjustly locked in the same attic, left for long periods of time with nothing but a doll for comfort.

Eleven year old Dikembe, now Celestine after being taken to England from his native Congo in 1906, is being groomed to be an upstanding English Gentleman. That is until his benefactor suddenly passes away. With nothing and no one in this strange country, he endures terrible abuse at the hands of the adults who next come into his life. They lock him away in the attic and force him into manual labor.

Eleven year old Lowe's endures similar abuse later in the 1970's, also being locked away in the very same attic. Later as an adult, she is desperate to find Dikembe, the young child she knows endured the same horrific treatment in the attic. The secrets she uncovers change everything she thought she knew about her life and history.

I absolutely loved this book even though it broke my heart over and over. As awful as it was to experience how horrifically both these children were treated, the author does it in such a way that it underscores strength and perseverance. I loved both Dikembe and Lowra and was instantly captivated by both stories. Not looking to spoil, so will only say that I was pleasantly surprised and often shocked as the book continued. I would suggest this to anyone who enjoyed The Girl With the Louding Voice or who enjoys unique historical fiction. Extremely good book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher. This is one I won't soon forget and will continue to recommend! Fantastic story!

Very powerful story about a young boy and a young girl separated by 90 years, yet bound together by an attic. They are both The Attic Child.

I found the story of Dikembe more compelling than that of Lowra. He was taken from his family, from his homeland, and brought to London by a white savior to “civilize” him and the storyline had a lot of substance. It took me awhile to get into Lowra’s story. Both suffered terrible abuse and, at times, it was difficult to read. The story was bleak but the characters have a strong will to survive that triumphs over the hardships they endure.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

This book left me in awe. An absolutely stunning novel about the hardships of Dikembe, a young boy taken against his will to England and the life he had there. And Lowra, a young girl facing similar extreme circumstances. At times it was difficult to read because of the harsh reality that Dikembe and Lowra faced.

The connection between Dikembe and Lowra had me guessing and stunned! It was a bit long at times but necessary to see the whole picture of who each character was and how they coped with their circumstances.

This was a heavy read, but well written and really makes you view the past in a new light.
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the ebook ARC of The Attic Child.

The Attic Child is an exceptional book. It’s original and riveting. It’s a book I wasn’t certain that I wanted to read, but I’m so glad that I did.

This book follows Dikembe from his childhood in Congo in the early 1900s. Times in Congo are difficult and becoming dangerous, so his mother turns him over to explorer and humanitarian Sir Richard Babbington, who intends to take Dikembe back to England and turn him into a proper English gentleman. Babbington upholds his part of the deal, to some extent, but when he succumbs to alcoholism, Dikembe, renamed Celestine, is left to the abusive care of the new owners of the house. They see him as less than human, only good to clean and cook. He’s tossed out of his bedroom and locked in the attic, sometimes for extended periods of time. It’s cruel and abusive treatment.

Ninety years later, Lowra lives in that same house. After her mother dies, her father remarries her tutor. On their honeymoon, her father disappears. The new stepmother turns vicious and also locks Lowra in the attic. She does all kinds of awful things to the young girl.

Understandably, these things have long term repercussions on the two young people. Their lives are not what they’d dreamed of. But there’s more of a connection between the two than just the house and its attic.

This is at times a difficult book to read because of how badly the children are treated by those who should know better. It’s absolute abuse and cruelty for no reason. There’s racism, discrimination, family, rape, and a touch of romance.

A fabulous, quick read despite the horrors that the children faced. I highly recommend it.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

"𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴; 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘺."

I've been in a bit of a historical fiction slump lately. It used to be my favorite genre, but I started having a hard time finding books that wowed me. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗖 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗗 by Lola Jaye did just that.

This dual timeline and POV story follows Lowra, an orphan in 1970s England who, while trapped in an attic, finds artifacts that she'll later learn belonged to Celestine, who was locked in the same attic 70 years earlier after having been taken from Africa as a young boy. As an adult, Lowra investigates what happened to Celestine, forcing her to come to terms with her own childhood traumas. This beautiful story of survival and strength is unlike anything I've read before, and I enjoyed alternating between the print and audio editions.

Thanks to Harper Audio and William Morrow Books for the copies to review.

The character of Dikembe is a memorable one. I felt empathy for him and wanted to hear more about his life. Lowra's story, while less compelling, is also intriguing and the connection between their stories is an effective plot tool. The characters have authentic voices and feelings which ring true to their experience. Although this novel is full of grief, hardship, trauma and regret, it is ultimately about love, survival and the choices we make in life. I was so moved by this story and greatly enjoyed it.
I highly recommend this novel!

This book was absolutely enthralling. It sucked me in from the beginning and I could not put it down! If you like historical fiction books that are character-driven, this is for you. It's heartbreaking and heartwarming, it's mysterious and complex...it quite literally gave me all the feels.

The Attic Child follows Dikembe (aka Celestine) during the early 1900s, and Lowra in the early 1990s. Though separated by practically a century, they have more in common than meets the eye.

If you have the opportunity to listen to the audio version of this book, I highly recommend it! It was so well done and really added to the emotion and intrigue behind the story. I can't recommend this book enough.

The Attic Child was a beautifully written,, incredibly emotional story that kept me glued to the page from the beginning. The author's deft use of the dual timeline kept the plot moving at a fast clip and the mystery brewing. At once an historical examination of race and identity and a dive into recovery from trauma. All of this will ensure that The Attic Child will appeal to a wide swathe of readers. It's the well developed, relatable characters that will make the story memorable. A thoroughly engaging, enjoyable and enlightening read.

The story is told in the alternating point of views of Dikembe and Lowra two people bound together by their respective time spent secluded in the same attic decades apart. When Lowra uncovers items in the attic she makes it her mission to discover the person who left them, what his/her story was, and perhaps even return the items to him/her or their living relatives.

I was drawn in to both timelines: praying that Celestine would find a better life and escape the atrocities he experienced while also rooting that Lowra would be able to accomplish her task while overcoming/dealing with her own childhood trauma. I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would given its difficult subject matter and themes including colonialism, racism, abuse, and child trafficking. Overall a historical fiction book worth reading that focuses on a time and place I was not very familiar with. Side note: I listened to this one while reading and loved the narration done by Lucian Msamati and Nneka Okoye.

Rating 4 stars

Special thanks to @williammorrowbooks and @netgalley for the ARC of The Attic Child for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

The Attic Child
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 9/6/22
Author: Lola Jaye
Publisher: William Morrow and Company
Pages: 480
GR: 4.48

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and William Morrow and Company and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: 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 freedom is acting as an unpaid servant to English explorer Sir Richard Babbington. 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.

My Thoughts: 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.

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.

The Attic Child is the harrowing and heartbreaking story of Dikembe and Lowra. Locked in the same London attic, nearly 100 years apart, their shared
trauma is told through dual narratives.
Based on a real person, this is a story of suffering, survival and hope.

. In the early 20th century, Dikembe is a young boy growing up in the Congo with his loving family. Suddenly he's taken to the UK by an explorer and his name is changed to Celestine. He soon finds himself locked in an attic. Decades later a young girl, Lowra, find herself in a similar situation. When Lowra inherits the house from her cruel stepmother, she sets out to find the mystery of Celestin. This book is amazing. It's historic fiction with a mystery. It's an amazing commentary on the history of racism and colonization in the UK. Both lead characters are endearing and it's hard to see them abused. The novel is also hopeful. It's extremely moving with a story and characters that will stay with you for a long time.