Last weekend, I began reading Lola Jaye’s The Attic Child. The novel was one of my September selections from The Book of the Month Club and I was very intrigued by the premise of the novel. Throughout the week, I’ve found myself struggling to sit down with the book and actually dive in. I’ve been shocked that I’m not pulled into the story.
What’s the problem? I’m not entirely sure. Jaye’s writing is beautiful and the story is compelling. I found the opening scenes with Dikembe in Congo riveting and wanted to know more. I cried with the young boy as he boarded an ocean freighter to begin a “short visit” to England. I want to know what happens to this child who is now on display for all to watch in the mysterious house at 109 Ranklin Road.
Then there are the chapters focused on Lowra….and I find myself confused. Who is this young woman and why has she inherited the mysterious house? The only items that she seems to care about in the home are a few items hidden beneath the floorboards of the attic that were clearly left behind by Dikembe. Was he the attic child or was Lowra a victim of abuse and locked there against her will? This is where Jaye’s book is frustrating me. I don’t necessarily want all the answers immediately, but I do want some sense that I know something about what is unfolding on the pages. In my opinion, Lowra’s chapters are getting in the way of a wonderfully wrought story about Dikembe. When I get to Lowra’s story, I am suddenly struggling to press on because I’m not invested in her story.
I’ve been tempted to skip the chapters titled Lowra, but I want to trust that the author is eventually going to reveal an important fact that links the two stories into this single novel. Now that I’m over 100 pages in, I’m losing patience though. My Story Graph account tells me that I’m only 23% into the book at this point, so I’m willing to give Jaye a little more latitude, but I don’t know how much longer I’m willing to wait for the payoff. My reading time is valuable. However, I don’t have enough of it to waste if an author is not going to hold up their end of the bargain and provide a fulfilling experience.
For now, I’m going to continue making my way through The Attic Child. Visit me again at the end of the week to see if things have improved in this reading experience.
Reading for Me 
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