My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher

This is a remarkable debut novel from a young and talented writer and is on my highly
recommended list.
Picture the scene: Trafalgar Square, togetherness as a family, the epitome of happiness. Jamie, 5 feeding the pigeons and his twin sisters, 10 twirling around amongst the pigeons and an abundance of laughter. When Jasmine stopped, Rose continued much to her mother's delight. A different scene. A deafening explosion, dad screaming Rose, Rose, Rose and then a family torn apart by anger, grief and guilt.
"Police found ten bits of her body." A terrorist bomb exploded, destroyed an innocent 10 year old and violated the remainder of her family beyond recognition. The world turned black, the future was bleak but in spite of this, Jamie narrates the story from an innocent, naive 10 year old's point of view. He simply cannot remember much about Rose and cannot grieve over her unlike the rest of his family.
"I don't remember anything about the day except a big bang and lots of crying."
He is affected indirectly by her death in terms of the devastating effect it has on his mother, father and sister Jas. "I can't do this anymore" and mum walked out. Father took to drowning his sorrows, seeking solace in a number of bottles of vodka or umpteen cans of beer. Five years of his life have been destroyed. Jamie and Jas became invisible. "It's like we're dead too," stated Jas. Neglected by those who should love and nurture them. A fresh start and the three move to the Lake District hoping to start again. The urn containing some of Rose's ashes is a constant reminder of the tragedy and whilst it remains on the mantelpiece, in the heart of the household it will control the family and feed their guilty consciences.
Jas changed her image drastically by cutting her hair, dyeing it pink and having her nose pierced, then almost refusing to eat.

Annabel Pitcher.

There is no denying the seriousness of the content but Jamie is a young boy into Superman and football with a sense of humour and this is the appeal of such a tragic story. So instead of being constantly depressed we are uplifted with his wry humour. After the funeral he asked Jas where Rose was and she pointed at the urn.
"How can a girl fit into something so small?" Delightful. For one of his birthdays Rose had left a book for Jamie next to the urn: "I got this strong urge to laugh when I saw it there, and imagined the urn sprouting legs and arms and a head and walking to the shop to buy a present." A gem.
The book also explores friendship, teenage love and bullying with both Jamie and his sister finding the Courage to Fly in a talent show about families sticking together.
Instead of being beaten Jamie ends on a positive note: he felt like the "luckiest, richest boy on the planet." You will understand this feeling when you read the novel and recognise, like the phoenix, the rebirth of hope and love.
Annabel Pitcher.


Copyright 2012. Permission to use this review must be obtained from the author.

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