"Attachments" By: Rainbow Rowell Review

Attachments

By: Rainbow Rowell

Synopsis

"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . "

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories. By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself. What would he say . . . ?

My Thoughts

    Lincoln is good at school, but not much else. Depressed and living with his mom after attending college for almost a decade, he begins working a night time shift at a company where he does pretty much nothing. Taking place in 1999, his job is in computer security. He is to read employee emails and make sure everyone is on task and especially not doing anything personal during work hours.
    During these random email checks, Lincoln virtually meets Beth. Through Beth’s messages to her friend Jennifer, Linc feels as if he knows this newspaper writer and begins to look forward to their daily correspondences. Never having actually met, Linc slowly falls in love with Beth’s words and actions, all through her electronic communication. Facing her personal bests and worsts, Lincoln begins to realize his own strengths as he rises out of his depression and into his life.
    Adorable, sweet, and heartbreaking are the top thoughts that kept running through my head as I was reading Attachments. My first Rainbow Rowell book and I was astounded by how cleverly she dealt with the characters. You never actually meet two of the main characters until the last few pages yet you know them almost as well as you know Lincoln, whose head most of the story is told.
    Lincoln is a highly clever character. Telling his tale of his long lost love through his late night evenings at work, you can’t help but have your heart break as he talks of his first love. Told through anecdotes, Lincoln seems to be living on the fringes since his heart break. Pushed to be more adventurous by his mother and sister, he finds comfort in reading the emails between the two women.
     Beth, our love interest and mystery lady, we only meet through her correspondence. Living with an impossible man, but clinging to her love like an old sweatshirt, she finds herself in an almost impossible situation. Sweet and kindhearted, I loved Beth’s confidence and caring attitude. Lincoln falls in love with her the only way he knows her...her words, which I may love most of all.
     A thoroughly enjoyable read, Rainbow Rowell shines in Attachments. Gorgeously written and entertaining, the characters shine through this simple tale told by emails. Lincoln and Beth’s story show just how much we reveal of ourselves through unintended avenues.

Book Details

Publisher: Dutton Adult

# of Pages: 336

ISBN: 978-0525951988

Date of Publication: April 14, 2011

Source: Library Checkout

Challenges

2014 Contemporary Romance Challenge

2014 New Author Challenge

2014 Where Are You Reading Challenge - Nebraska