Get your thinking hats on for Attend by West Camel. Here is a book which you really need to read… like, right now.
The plot:
When Sam falls in love with Deptford thug Derek, and Anne’s best friend Kathleen takes her own life, they discover they are linked not just by a world of drugs and revenge; they also share the friendship of the uncanny and enigmatic Deborah.
Seamstress, sailor, story-teller and self-proclaimed centenarian immortal, Deborah slowly reveals to Anna and Sam her improbable, fantastical life, a history of hidden Deptford and ultimately the solution to their crisis.
An absolute treat from start to finish
Attend is utterly beautiful from the words on the page, the characters and the thrills in this incredible page-turner.
I couldn’t read it quick enough and loved that some lines were repeated near chapter ends to really add to the dramatic effect. You knew at that point that you were going to carry on reading for a solid 50 pages.
This book keeps you on your toes throughout, not knowing what is going to happen; throughout, you are thrown between three character’s stories – Sam, Anne and Deborah (with Deborah’s story flashing back in time). Sam is having issues with Derek and the issues around this character, and Anne overcoming her own past and mother-daughter relationships. But when it comes to Deborah, you’re definitely getting different vibes. Is she a ghost? A mystical being? Here to teach Sam and Anne a lesson? WHO KNOWS?!?!?!?!?!
Attend is quite complex, when you take a step back and look at the themes that Camel is portraying. English A-Level teachers would be going mad over sentences in this book, asking you to analyse every word (seriously, I was doing this big time). But as you are trying to uncover the story and where it will lead, you are thrown into depths with all the detail and modern edge.
The reviews on the back of the book say: “beautifully written, darkly funny, mesmerizingly emotive and deliciously told literary fiction”. I would entirely agree, however, I didn’t necessarily find this book darkly funny… but maybe I was over-analysing (it’s known to happen).
Attend is an absolute treat from start to finish, and I’ll be revisiting this next year.
Have you read this? I really want to gossip about one part! Drop me an email on contact@bookmarkthat.co.uk.
Attend, West Camel, RRP £8.99 (paperback); Book Depository
Pages: 300
Publisher: Orenda Books
Genre: Literary Fiction
