MY SISTER LIVES ON THE MANTELPIECE: ANNABEL PITCHER

This isn't the kind of book I would typically gravitate to or seek out, but it is a beautifully written story. Sitting here thinking about it, I can't believe how many issues this little book brings alight to the reader, and it is all executed flawlessly.

I've also never read a book entirely devoid of quotation marks. Dialogue is expressed in italics as our narrator (a very smart and funny Jamie), tells us who said what. It was an interesting choice for the author, and it works by adding substance to the strong voice of Jamie.

BOOK BLURB:

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 his story, an unflinchingly real yet heart-warming account of a young boy's struggle to make sense of the loss that tore his family apart.

This is a clean read with a little language here and there as heard by a young child. It is extremely sad and anger inducing (that MOM! ugh!), but it is light and hopeful as well.

You can read more about it HERE.