Here is my one negative point before I really get into it, everything else is positive: I think I would have enjoyed Ketchup Clouds a million times more had I connected with Zoe. It wasn't your wife's jam the police found on your shoe.' It made me laugh at loud, and it's these kinds of first lines that I aspire to be able to do. It's jam not blood, though I don't think I need to tell you the difference. I sort of knew, from the very first line that I was going to enjoy it, because it was immediately funny: 'Dear Mr Harris, Ignore the blob of red in the top left corner. But the plot is fantastically well thought-out, and unique, too. I won't tell you the complication with Zoe liking both the boys, and I won't tell you which she likes more, because that's all part of the story.

Max manages to get half her clothes off the first time they meet, whereas Aaron is more dreamy. Enter Max and Aaron, a slight complication to the story.

'Zoe' (as she calls herself) has done something bad, which you find out at the end. It is told as an epistolary novel in other words, it is told entirely in letters, which I loved, and all the letters are addressed to Mr Harris (although as the letters go on, it ends in her addressing him as 'My dearest Stu'). Sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes wistful, often funny and always compassionate, this is a beautifully-crafted and unexpected coming-of-age story that will win readers’ hearts.Before I get into talking about my opinions, I'll describe the storyline. Blending powerful emotion and darkness with ironic humour, it is a gripping and moving story about secrets, lies and growing up. Dot is an endearing and fully-rounded character, and whilst the subject of deafness is generally dealt with naturally and casually, the book also makes a powerful comment about one of the possible causes of infant deafness and the impact on her family.ĭealing with some complex and difficult themes and issues, Ketchup Clouds is perhaps best suited to older teenage readers. Seeking redemption for her crime, Zoe begins writing to convicted murderer Stuart Harris, awaiting execution on Death Row, confessing the truth about what happened, and spilling out her feelings about a love triangle that went tragically wrong, as well as the family turmoil she has been experiencing.Īn inclusive element lies in the depiction of Zoe's younger sister Dot, who is deaf. In this unusual young adult novel, Pitcher once again creates a vivid and engaging first person narrative - this time, the story is told through a series of letters written in the frank and often funny voice of a 15-year-old girl struggling to come to terms with her crushing guilt because she is, by her own admission a murderer. Her highly-acclaimed, award-winning debut, My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece was undoubtedly a hard act to follow, yet Annabel Pitcher’s second novel is equally impressive.

Ketchup clouds