Ketchup Clouds Review

Title: Ketchup Clouds

Author: Annabel Pitcher

Release date: 1st July 2013

Publisher: Indigo

Zoe begins her confessional letters to Stuart Harris, a prisoner on death row, because she doesn't know who else to confide in. But as time runs out for Stuart, is time running out for Zoe too?

I’ll be honest, the initial reason I picked up this book was because it has little red birds down the edges of the pages! This is an epistolary novel which allows Zoe to flit between what is happening and what has happened. Not only has Annabel Pitcher written Zoe’s past and present stories but she has effectively created Stuart Harris’ tale which is just as distressing as Zoe’s.

The title is a little bit unusual and refers to a term that Zoe’s younger sister comes up with when describing ketchup and mashed potato… creating what looks like ketchup clouds. After reading the book, I think the title seems quite fitting. To me, it describes being young and care free when the clouds turn red just before sunset but it also contains a dangerous element, the calm before the storm, the deep red colour warning us that not everything is as pleasant as it might seem. The fact that Zoe’s very first letter has a splodge of jam in the corner and the birds on the page edges are red carries this colour through as a theme, invoking passion and danger, which this novel has in abundance.

What is intriguing about this novel is the way that, just like Stuart, the reader is given bits of information but not the whole story until the very end of the book. It is obvious that something bad has happened but it is difficult to find out exactly what or to whom, which is something I became desperate to find out! We are also fed titbits about what is happening in Stuart’s life, despite never reading a letter from him.

By the end of the novel, I’m not embarrassed to say, I was a little bit emotional. I don’t want to reveal too much but it was a bit like a ‘Blood Brothers’ style ending (which is an amazing musical if you get chance to see it). Annabel Pitcher creates tension which explodes in a surprising climax at the end. When the full story is revealed, it is easy to sympathise with all the characters involved. The characters are so beautifully crafted and their world is so believable that it is a bitter pill to swallow to see it shattered.

I enjoyed the additional unposted letter and diary entry at the end from other characters (I can’t tell you who) but they gave a little bit of perspective to the story and also added hope to what is really a dark tale but I don’t want prospective readers to think that this novel is all doom and gloom. It is a sad story but there are so many elements of it that are full of hope and the joys of being young and in love.

 

You should definitely read the book for yourself and see what you think!

5/5 Passionate, emotional, engaging and beautifully crafted.