My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece – Annabel Pitcher

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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.

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Review by Thea

My sister lives on the mantelpiece review
“Ten-year-old Jamie hasn’t cried since it happened. 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.
Five years on, it’s worse than ever: Dad drinks. Mums gone and Jamie’s left with questions that he must answer for himself”

Now I haven’t read this book recently but I must have read it at least 11 or 12 times in my life, it never gets boring. The story is through the eyes of Jamie, an 11-year-old boy with a complicated life. Jamie lives with his dad, an alcoholic, and his sister jasmine. 5 years earlier jasmines twin sister rose was killed by a terrorist attack bomb in London. This book explores how each family member, including the mum who lives in London with another man, copes with roses death. It also captures the difficulty of changing school, making new friends and dealing with not seeing a parent. I’m trying hard not to ramble too much or give too much away however I can say that this book has my heart, it has the ability to make you laugh, cry, and most importantly see the world through the eyes of a very interesting person (Jamie himself). I can’t quite explain this book but I urge you all to give it a try!

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