The attic child: a novel
Description
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.
Subjects
Africans -- History -- Fiction
Attics -- Fiction
Child slaves -- Fiction
Family secrets -- Fiction
Fiction
Great Britain -- History -- Fiction
Historical Fiction
Imprisonment -- Fiction
Literature
London (England) -- Fiction
Nigeria -- History -- Fiction
Orphans -- Fiction
Slavery -- Fiction
Also in this Series
Published Reviews
Booklist Review
Two children, separated by the better part of a century, connect in the dusty attic at the center of their traumatic early lives. In 1905, 10-year-old Dikembe is taken by an English explorer from his home in what was then called the Congo. Renamed Celestine and dressed in fine clothes, Dikembe is brought to a seaside town where he is forced to serve as a companion to his captor for years, until the Englishman's death brings another change in Dikembe's fortunes. Nearly 70 years later in the same house, after her father goes missing, young Lowra is locked in the attic by her former tutor and stepmother, only released to parade in front of inspectors as though nothing is wrong. She discovers what Dikembe kept hidden beneath the floorboards during his own captivity there, and as an adult, she sets out to uncover the rest of his story. As she tracks down traces of Dikembe and confronts her painful past in this moving novel, Lowra discovers family secrets and the power of resilience, hope, and love.
Library Journal Review
In early 1900s Britain, young Celestine lives in an attic in a house by the sea, having been taken from his African home to act as an unpaid servant to English explorer Sir Richard Babbington. In 1974, orphaned Lowra, whose privileged family has suffered misfortune, is trapped in the same attic, where she finds mementos and a message carved in an unknown language by her predecessor. British therapist/novelist Jaye (Being Lara) turns to historical epic in a story inspired by the photograph of a boy named Ndugu M'Hali taken from his home in Tanzania; with a 75,000-copy first printing.
Booklist Reviews
Two children, separated by the better part of a century, connect in the dusty attic at the center of their traumatic early lives. In 1905, 10-year-old Dikembe is taken by an English explorer from his home in what was then called the Congo. Renamed Celestine and dressed in fine clothes, Dikembe is brought to a seaside town where he is forced to serve as a companion to his captor for years, until the Englishman's death brings another change in Dikembe's fortunes. Nearly 70 years later in the same house, after her father goes missing, young Lowra is locked in the attic by her former tutor and stepmother, only released to parade in front of inspectors as though nothing is wrong. She discovers what Dikembe kept hidden beneath the floorboards during his own captivity there, and as an adult, she sets out to uncover the rest of his story. As she tracks down traces of Dikembe and confronts her painful past in this moving novel, Lowra discovers family secrets and the power of resilience, hope, and love. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.
Library Journal Reviews
In early 1900s Britain, young Celestine lives in an attic in a house by the sea, having been taken from his African home to act as an unpaid servant to English explorer Sir Richard Babbington. In 1974, orphaned Lowra, whose privileged family has suffered misfortune, is trapped in the same attic, where she finds mementos and a message carved in an unknown language by her predecessor. British therapist/novelist Jaye (Being Lara) turns to historical epic in a story inspired by the photograph of a boy named Ndugu M'Hali taken from his home in Tanzania; with a 75,000-copy first printing.
Copyright 2022 Library Journal.