Review: Attachments

Attachments is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. It is creative and unique and weird in a way no book I’ve read before has been. And I loved it.

I bought Attachments because I read Fangirl a little while ago (read the review here) and fell in love with Rainbow Rowell’s writing. When I saw this book at Barnes and Noble — an adult fiction book compared to her other YA books — I couldn’t resist. And I’m glad I didn’t because it was a fun, beautiful read.

Summary ?

Beth and Jennifer know their company monitors their office e-mail. But the women still spend all day sending each other messages, gossiping about their coworkers at the newspaper and baring their personal lives like an open book. Jennifer tells Beth everything she can’t seem to tell her husband about her anxieties over starting a family. And Beth tells Jennifer everything, period. 

When Lincoln applied to be an Internet security officer, he hardly imagined he’d be sifting through other people’s inboxes like some sort of electronic Peeping Tom. Lincoln is supposed to turn people in for misusing company e-mail, but he can’t quite bring himself to crack down on Beth and Jennifer. He can’t help but be entertained-and captivated- by their stories. 

But by the time Lincoln realizes he’s falling for Beth, it’s way too late for him to ever introduce himself. What would he say to her? “Hi, I’m the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you.” After a series of close encounters and missed connections, Lincoln decides it’s time to muster the courage to follow his heart . . . even if he can’t see exactly where it’s leading him. 

What I think ?️

Attachments focuses on Lincoln, who just started a job at a newspaper reading employees emails. He’s a little awkward, shy and still lives with his mom. But despite all of those things, maybe because of all those things, he’s a really engaging perspective character. Especially because he falls in love through email.

That was one of my favorite parts of the book: that we never actually meet Beth and Jennifer (the girls whose emails Lincoln keeps reading) until the every end of the novel. We learn about their lives and personalities through their emails to each other, reading them as Lincoln does. If you don’t think you can get to know someone through their emails, think again.

It’s the details that make the story, right? And Rainbow Rowell is great at details. The secondary characters are amazing. The anecdotes are amazing. I can’t go into all the amazing stories and characters there were in the book because it would take all day. But they were amazingly detailed and well placed.

The whole book I was wondering: what exactly is going to happen when Beth finds out this guy read all her personal emails? I was full of anticipation and the novel ended in the best possible way. There was so much growth, and I was so supportive of all the characters by the end. Honestly, it was very wholesome.

I will say this book is probably not for everyone. You kind of have to love weird and unusual characters to dig Lincoln, and it takes a while for him to really win you over. But once I got into Attachments, I couldn’t stop reading it. Luckily, it’s a short book, so it won’t take you long to get through. So go read it (like, now).

Quote ?

“There are moments when you can’t believe something wonderful is happening. And there are moments when your entire consciousness is filled with knowing absolutely that something wonderful is happening. Lincoln felt like he’d dunked his head into a sink full of Pop Rocks and turned on the water.”