Why a Booktrail?
2000s, 1913 onwards : Several threads make up the tapestry of life…
Attend
What you need to know before your trail
When Sam falls in love with South London 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 Anne and Sam her improbable, fantastical life, the mysterious world that lies beneath their feet and, ultimately, the solution to their crises.
With echoes of Armistead Maupin and a hint of magic realism, Attend is a beautifully written, darkly funny, mesmerisingly emotive and deliciously told debut novel, rich in finely wrought characters that you will never forget.
Locations
ResetTravel Guide
Travel to Deptford London
The events in this book all take place within a very small area of London – within a few streets in Deptford – and the streets each have their story to tell. From the train station to the famous High Street and then down to the creek and the docks….fights under the arches and a man cruising the clubs looking for love of some kind, to a woman who wanders the streets looking for what? Even she doesn’t know.
This is the story of the streets and a few people who walk on them and whose paths cross in ways you will not have imagined. This is a residential area now but from the mid-16th to the late 19th century, Deptford was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first Royal Navy Dockyard. The area declined as the Royal Navy moved out and the docks shut; the last one in 2000.
All that exists now is a Bermuda Triangle type area of magical realism, love, grief, struggle and personal relationships.
Booktrailer Review
Susan @thebooktrailer
A debut novel and a very special one at that. Set in Deptford, London, this focuses on a unique set of characters and one in particular who floats through the novel like a thread, tying everything up and linking everyone in some way. It’s very assured writing for a first novel. From the hands of Orenda’s editor no less, and it’s lovely to see his own words come to life off the page. I will never forget Deborah who must be one of the most memorable characters in fiction I’ve read in a long while. And you feel a frisson when you allow the magical realism to flow over you.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Attend
Destination: Deptford, London Author/guide: West Camel Departure Time; 1913 onwards, 2018
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