Attend
Page 32
Sam hums a goodbye, and returns across the noisy floor, bringing with him the scent of the creek, tinted with sweet flowers.
‘They’re out,’ he says. ‘I told him we set Nigel free.’ Anne can see the relief on his grubby face.
‘So what happens now?’ she asks, not necessarily of him, for she is looking down at Deborah again.
And Sam does not reply.
They both gaze at Deborah’s miniature body, now swaddled in her faint, almost unseen story.
And they wonder and wonder, not sure which tale they should listen to, to which thread they should attend.
Acknowledgements
Attend has had a long gestation. My thanks must go to all those who have supported me over the years this book has taken to reach publication.
First, my thanks go to my publisher, colleague and friend, Karen Sullivan. Her belief in my work has been inspiring. I couldn’t wish for a better home for my debut novel than Orenda Books. Neither could I wish for a better place to work. Thanks also to all at Team Orenda, especially Liz Barnsley, who first loved Attend, Mark Swan for his wonderful jacket design, Anne Newman for her editing, Abbie Rutherford for her proofreading, Cole Sullivan for all his help, Sophie Goodfellow at FMCM and Anne Cater for her sterling work on Orenda’s blogtours.
My thanks must also go to all those who’ve read and commented on the various drafts of Attend over the years, and especially to those in my writing group: Gabriela Blandy, Jill McGivering, Hilary Wilce, Ros Kindersley, Maria Margaronis, Lucy Roeber and Seona MacKay.
Thanks also go to all the friends who’ve wished me well, listened to my laments and given me their support, in particular, Vaughan, Neil and Sophie, and of course Andrew – my oldest friend and my housemate at 36 Albury Street, where this book was conceived.
Thanks to my family, in particular to Mum, David and to dear, departed Dad, for your love and for always being there.
And finally thanks to you, reader, for opening this book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born and bred in south London – and not the Somerset village with which he shares a name – West Camel worked as an editor in higher education and business before turning his attention to the arts and publishing. He has worked as a book and arts journalist, and was editor at Dalkey Archive Press, where he edited the Best European Fiction 2015 anthology, before moving to new press Orenda Books just after its launch. He currently combines his work as editor at Orenda with writing and editing a wide range of material for various arts organisations, including ghost-writing a New-Adult novel and editing The Riveter magazine for the European Literature Network. He has also written several short scripts, which have been produced in London’s fringe theatres, and was longlisted for the Old Vic’s 12 playwrights project. Attend is his first novel.
Follow West on Twitter: @west_camel.
Copyright
Orenda Books
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West Dulwich
London SE21 8HU
www.orendabooks.co.uk
First published in the United Kingdom by Orenda Books 2018
Copyright © West Camel, 2018
West Camel has asserted his moral right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publishers.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978–1–912374–39–7
eISBN 978–1–912374–40–3