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quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Ten-year-old Jamie hasn’t cried since it happened. He knows he should have – Jasmine cried, Mum cried, Dad still cries. Roger didn’t, but then he is just a cat and didn’t know Rose that well, really.
Everyone kept saying it would get better with time, but that’s just one of those lies that grown-ups tell in awkward situations. Five years on, it’s worse than ever: Dad drinks, Mum’s gone and Jamie’s left with questions that he must answer for himself.
This is the story of a young boy’s struggle to make sense of the loss that tore his family apart.
10 year old Jamie’s just moved to the Lake District with his Dad, his cat Roger and his older sisters, Jas and Rose. Rose lives in a gold urn that Dad keeps on the mantelpiece. She died in a terrorist attack 5 years ago in Trafalgar Square and Jamie still hasn’t cried about it.
The move’s supposed to be a fresh start but the only change is that Jamie’s Mum isn’t there – she’s moved in with Nigel from the victim’s support group. Jas still doesn’t eat enough and Jamie’s Dad drinks too much and cries over Rose’s urn. School isn’t much better – he’s picked on by Daniel and Ryan for being strange and ginger. But then he makes a friend – Sunya who’s imaginative and supportive and likes superheroes. The only problem is that she’s also a Muslim, and Jamie’s Dad blames Muslims for Rose’s death ...
Annabel Pitcher’s debut novel is a powerful and tender story about the effect that the sudden and tragic death of a child can have on their family.
Told through Jamie’s point of view, it’s a poignant read. Jamie was only 5 when Rose died and because he doesn’t really remember her it gives him a clearer image of who she really was, as opposed to the rose-tinted memories that his parents have. Pitcher is a master of showing rather than telling and Jamie’s little details about his sister and his father are heartbreaking, as is his desire to have his mum remain part of his life – going so far as to keep wearing the Spiderman tee-shirt she sent him for his birthday every single day.
Sunya is a lively but lonely little girl, isolated from her classmates because she’s the only Muslim. Her growing friendship with Jamie is sweetly portrayed complete with all the normal pitfalls. You can see why she’d want to be friends with Jamie, who’s also imaginative, but more withdrawn.
There are a few nitpicks – the depiction of a TV talent show’s judges is overegged, I wasn’t completely convinced by a school inspection and the subsequent report and the plot, while well written, did veer towards predictability. However none of these spoilt my enjoyment of a book that really made me quite teary at times. I won’t be surprised to see this book when the award nominations season comes around and I look forward to seeing what Pitcher does next.
The Verdict:
A tender and poignant debut novel that examines the effect that the sudden and tragic death of a child can have on the remaining family, this was a wonderful book that I found very moving and I think that children aged 11+ would get a great deal from it. I won’t be surprised if this book is among the nominations come awards season.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the free copy of this book.
Ten-year-old Jamie hasn’t cried since it happened. He knows he should have – Jasmine cried, Mum cried, Dad still cries. Roger didn’t, but then he is just a cat and didn’t know Rose that well, really.
Everyone kept saying it would get better with time, but that’s just one of those lies that grown-ups tell in awkward situations. Five years on, it’s worse than ever: Dad drinks, Mum’s gone and Jamie’s left with questions that he must answer for himself.
This is the story of a young boy’s struggle to make sense of the loss that tore his family apart.
10 year old Jamie’s just moved to the Lake District with his Dad, his cat Roger and his older sisters, Jas and Rose. Rose lives in a gold urn that Dad keeps on the mantelpiece. She died in a terrorist attack 5 years ago in Trafalgar Square and Jamie still hasn’t cried about it.
The move’s supposed to be a fresh start but the only change is that Jamie’s Mum isn’t there – she’s moved in with Nigel from the victim’s support group. Jas still doesn’t eat enough and Jamie’s Dad drinks too much and cries over Rose’s urn. School isn’t much better – he’s picked on by Daniel and Ryan for being strange and ginger. But then he makes a friend – Sunya who’s imaginative and supportive and likes superheroes. The only problem is that she’s also a Muslim, and Jamie’s Dad blames Muslims for Rose’s death ...
Annabel Pitcher’s debut novel is a powerful and tender story about the effect that the sudden and tragic death of a child can have on their family.
Told through Jamie’s point of view, it’s a poignant read. Jamie was only 5 when Rose died and because he doesn’t really remember her it gives him a clearer image of who she really was, as opposed to the rose-tinted memories that his parents have. Pitcher is a master of showing rather than telling and Jamie’s little details about his sister and his father are heartbreaking, as is his desire to have his mum remain part of his life – going so far as to keep wearing the Spiderman tee-shirt she sent him for his birthday every single day.
Sunya is a lively but lonely little girl, isolated from her classmates because she’s the only Muslim. Her growing friendship with Jamie is sweetly portrayed complete with all the normal pitfalls. You can see why she’d want to be friends with Jamie, who’s also imaginative, but more withdrawn.
There are a few nitpicks – the depiction of a TV talent show’s judges is overegged, I wasn’t completely convinced by a school inspection and the subsequent report and the plot, while well written, did veer towards predictability. However none of these spoilt my enjoyment of a book that really made me quite teary at times. I won’t be surprised to see this book when the award nominations season comes around and I look forward to seeing what Pitcher does next.
The Verdict:
A tender and poignant debut novel that examines the effect that the sudden and tragic death of a child can have on the remaining family, this was a wonderful book that I found very moving and I think that children aged 11+ would get a great deal from it. I won’t be surprised if this book is among the nominations come awards season.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the free copy of this book.
