Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher

Before I post my review, I have to say that this is one of the most original concepts I have read in quite a while. It was so good to read something unexpected and I really enjoyed reading this. Although I loved My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, I think Annabel's new book far surpasses this. She is so talented and I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I did.

I should also say that I wrote this review for a website...

Ketchup Clouds is written as a series of letters from a young girl known only as ‘Zoe’. She is writing letters from England to a criminal who has been sentenced to the death penalty in America. The confessional nature of her letters reveals more details about the crime of the American man as well as her own crimes. This is a unique concept and makes it feel as if Zoe is talking directly to the reader.

There are several tantalising mysteries running through the story, many not being solved until the very end. This includes Zoe’s real identity, which she can only reveal after confessing her crime. Zoe can only forgive herself by revealing her thoughts in letters and sending them to a complete stranger who cannot reply. It becomes a type of therapy for her and each letter confesses a few more secrets.

Zoe is not the only one with secrets, there are also secrets contained in her family, such as: why her sister is deaf, why her Grandad is no longer part of the family, why her parents keep arguing. Will Zoe manage to get to the root of these problems, while solving her own worries?  

As well as the romantic elements of the story, other subjects covered are: coping with guilt, deafness, sisterly rivalry, forgiveness, grief and compassion. This book would be for the more confident reader and would be for both girls and boys. Girls may prefer the more romantic aspects of the story and the tearjerker ending.