A young woman faces her haunted past as she seeks to learn the truth about a boy from nearly a hundred years ago who shares in some of the horrors she has endured. The Attic Child by Lola Jaye is a moving novel that covers the taking of a young African boy from his home in the Congo to be brought up as an English explorer's companion in a seaside town in England. The young boy's life is woven in to the story of a young woman who grew up in the same house in England, where both were terribly mistreated. I was entranced by this work of historical fiction and I highly recommend it.
I was given an ARC of The Attic Child by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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I really wanted to like this one but found it really hard to get into. I don't know if it was the dual timeline or the narrators but for whatever reason it didn't work for me and I ended up DNFing halfway through. Recommended for readers who like historical fiction and dark family secrets. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a heartfelt, amazing story!

THE ATTIC CHILD is a hauntingly powerful and emotionally charged novel about family secrets, love and loss, identity and belonging. The story tells the heartbreaking truths of two children, one living in 1900, and one living the 1990s, who lived in the same house, experiencing similar traumas, decades apart.

Celestine and Lowra were such well developed characters, and the audio was done so well. I loved Lola Jaye as the narrator choice, who really brought their stories to life.

*many thanks to Harper Audio and netgalley for the gifted copy for review

The narration of the audio book was superb. Both voice actors were giving the story their all. The story itself went on much too long once the two view points converge - i very much wanted it to end 3 hrs early to leave at least some of it left to my imagination. Everything wrapped up too neatly and happily in the end, especially considering the subject matter of child abuse and racism.

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

This story tells the heartbreaking stories of two children who lived through trauma in the same house, decades apart. We are told this story in dual timeline, starting in the early 1900 and ending in the early 1990s.

The story was beautifully told, as we get to know Celestine and Lowra. I loved how Lowra was so interested in the past and determined to find out what had taken place in the attic before her. I found myself more interested in Celestine's story but still enjoyed Lowra's story so it was nice to go back and forth.

The book was a tad long, but overall very well done.

The audio was great! I loved the different narrators and they both added the listening experience.

Dikembe and Lowra, 90 years apart, both end up in the same attic.
What is this place and why? And what is their connection?
Rotating chapters tell their heartfelt stories. Well written and perfectly paced.
This powerful novel speaks of survival, strength of character and love eventually.
A beautiful twist rounds up this impressive read.

Thank you Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC.

I listened to this story as an audiobook. I was traveling with my 13 year old daughter and we both were deeply engrossed in this book. The dual timeline of Dikembe and Lowra was deeply moving and thought provoking. To think of Dikembe and Lowra’s stories being 90 year apart, but still so similar. Lola Jaye did an amazing job developing characters that resonate with the reader and strike a powerful emotional punch. Both of the characters were amazingly resilient and fascinating.

All of the narrators did a phenomenal job bring the characters to life. The characters were so lifelike that at times I forgot that this was a work of fiction. I highly recommend this story as both a written and audiobook to everyone. While it will put you through an emotional wringer, it will stay with you long after you read it.

I was provided a copy of this audiobook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Wow. This book will be a favorite of the year for sure.

Two timelines, one attic, and one amazing story beautifully woven together. My heart broke with these characters many times and I was so relieved for them to have found each other in the end.

Narration was fantastic as well once I got used to Lowra's narrator.

This powerful narrative brings the pain of race and the horror of abuse into the stark reality of London. The dual timelines are both painful and hopeful with the strength to overcome always the centerpiece. Brutally honest in the face of colonial progression.

The story was interesting, with many twists and turns, and the characters vivid and our main characters likeable heroes, but the length and pace of the story detracted from my enjoyment. I found it too long and slow that it was at times a slog to get through.

The Attic Child by Lola Jaye one of my favorite books of the year and might even be one of my favorite books of all time!

With lyrical language readers are privileged to follow the lives of two characters, Dikembe and Lowra. who were locked away in the same attic, generations apart. With 90 years between them, its wild that their connection is absoluely unbreakable.

The way the story gradually unfolds the crazy tangled bond that links them keeps the reader entertained and on the edge of their seat the entire story.

This is a brutal tale of survival and loss that also manages to weave in a beautiful story of hope.
This book is completely heartbreaking and harrowing and so beautiful.

The characters truly found their way into my heart and I did not want the story to end.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Go buy this book!

“𝙻𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚜, 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢. 𝙸𝚗 𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚐𝚘 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚗𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚍𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚏 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚖. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗. 𝙸 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚊 𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢.” —𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝙲𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍, 𝙻𝚘𝚕𝚊 𝙹𝚊𝚢𝚎

Dikembe/Celestine and Lowra came into my life by way of this book, but the indomitable life and spirit of the many they represent, will never be forgotten. Transported back to the early 1900s, I find 11 year old Dikembe, living happily in Congo with his family. In 1993, 30 year old Lowra seems indifferent, never allowing anyone to get close to her. But that’s her way of getting from one day to the next.

In the pages of these dual narratives, we encounter 2 people who’s lives have been shaped by circumstances beyond their control. Jaye does a fantastic job of allowing us to SEE Dikembe and Lowra as flesh and blood, as people. And what we see and experience as we glimpse back into the past will break your heart. Although we’ve grown or aged, at heart, how many of us are still learning to live with what happened to our younger selves....to allow our older self to comfort our inner child that has been scared and bruised.

Wow- I have such a big book hangover. I loved it! The two kids tragic stories and the way the were woven together were masterful. I couldn’t put it down. I am highly recommending this to everyone. Celestine and Lowra will be in my mind for a long time

Unique tale starts off in the fields of Africa and ends up in modern day Britain. Depth of characters makes this story interesting. Characters are well developed but the story continues to unfold nicely

What a beautiful and heartbreaking story. Two children, 100 years apart, find themselves a prisoner in their own homes, in an attic. Dikembe is taken from his village in the Congo by a wealthy, white explorer, Sir Richard. He is brought to England, with thoughts that he will be a servant, but soon finds out he will be part of Sir Richards family. Sir Richard unexpectedly dies and Dikembe, now known as Celestine, because it sounds more British, is taken in by Sir Richards family as a slave and keeps him in the attic. In 1993, Lowra receives a phone call telling her that her step-mother has passed away and her home was left to her in her will. Lowra doesn’t want anything to do with the house because she has painful memories from growing up there.

This was a long read that I could not put down. I highly recommended this one for any historical fiction lover out there. Especially if you like historical fiction, not from the WWII era. There is so much that happens over the course of this book, yet all of it is there for a purpose. The characters were all so deep, flawed and yet grew through the course of the book. The writing was wonderful, and I love the way it was tied together at the end. The author’s note is a must read. This was a powerful story about racism, identity, survival, and eventually, love.

Wow just wow. I'm trying to gather my thoughts. It's well written and the stories are well intertwined. It hits you right in the gut and keeps hitting you. It's definitely a book for 2022 that I will remember.

This audiobook was so good, I didn't want it to end! The story itself was amazing, but the narration was so authentic! I was engrossed in the whole thing. I'm sure the written word is great too, but a story like this needs to be heard. And it will stay with me for a while.
Thank you to NetGalley and the audiobook producer

This book started off as a two star book that I was talking myself into DNF-ing. It graduated to a four star read when part two really ramped up… Then dropped to a three by the end because the author dragged out that last 30%. The tenuous connection between Dikembe and Lawra just seemed… contrived. The circumstances by which each character escaped the attic was suspect to me as well. The story didn’t have an even flow for me, though the midpoint is strong and worth reading the entire novel.

The audio was well performed-
the American accent was spot on. I would listen to this narrator again.

This book is a journey like no other. This story explores the unspoken history of British colonialism and what it meant for the people. Initially a young African boy by the name of Dikembe is taken away from his home and family by a British explorer named Babbington. Babbington takes Dikembe to England, renames him Celestine, and hires a private tutor for him. Celestine even attends school for a short time. As one of the few black people in England, Celestine continuously has to strive for ways to be accepted. When his fortunes turn Celestine finds himself forced into servitude. The attic becomes both his jail and partly his refuge. Within the walls of the attic Celestine fights to remain himself. He fights to remember his family. Being in the attic forces him to find the courage and determination to survive. It sets him on a path for justice.

Lowra brings Celestine's story full circle. Her life was marked early on by tragedy and abuse. As one could imagine, this took a toll on Lowra's emotional health. When a death forces her to come face to face with her past she first ignores it. A seemingly meaningless trip to a museum takes her on an epic journey, one with an ending not even she can imagine.

Lola Jaye truly wrote a masterpiece. As promised the book delivers a powerful and emotional story that will stay with the reader long after the pages have been read. The narrators for this book were absolutely excellent!!

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

Advanced Reader’s Copy audiobook provided by NetGalley, and Harper Audio in exchange for an honest review.

The Attic Child is easily one of the best best books I have ever read. This story brought me to tears!

The Attic Child follows the lives of two characters, Dikembe and Lowra. With 90 years between the two they have an unbreakable connection, inspiring Lowra to investigate the items she found in her attic as a child. As Lowra begins to uncover Celestine's story she is lead to something no one quite expected!

The narration performance of Lola Jaye, Lucian Msamati, and Nneka Okoye was well done and flowed together perfectly.