Shortlisted for the 2003 Man Booker Prize
Five words from the blurb: vivid, child, grief, eccentric, family
Astonishing Splashes of Colour is a vivid account of the grief felt by one woman because of her inability to have children. The central character, Kitty, desperately tries to be happy but every time she sees
a child she is reminded of her pain.
Although much of the book deals with a difficult subject matter there is a lot of humor. Kitty’s failed attempts to entertain her nieces were almost farcical and there were moments when I felt guilty for laughing at her.
Kitty also suffers from synaesthesia so scenes are overlaid with a colour specific to the mood or event taking place. This added another dimension to the book and never felt gimmicky.
I watch her walk miserably away with her two children and wish I could help her, although I know I can’t. She chose the wrong person. The yellow is changing. I can feel it becoming overripe – the sharp smell of dying daffodils, the sting and taste of vomit.
Although it can’t be described as fast-paced the mysteries surrounding Kitty’s past drive the plot forward and I was gripped to the emotional narrative throughout.
This book does a fantastic job of investigating the problems faced by vulnerable members of society and I loved the way it highlighted their problems without being condescending. I also appreciated the inclusion of a character with Asperger’s syndrome (Kitty’s husband). Did anyone else notice this, or am I reading too much into things?
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys getting inside the head of beautifully flawed characters. I’ll be thinking about this family for a long time to come.
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This was my first Clare Morrall book, but it definitely won’t be my last. Her new novel, The Roundabout Man, is published next week and I am also keen to read, 
Have you read any of her books?
Which do you recommend?
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I read this back when it was on the Booker shortlist and it was my favourite of that year’s list. I absolutely loved it – nearly a decade on and Kitty and her husband are still characters who have stayed in my mind. All Morrall’s books (well, the first three – I haven’t read ‘The Man Who Disappeared’ and her new one is near the top of my tbr pile) seem to be about people who are a bit “different” and she seems to understand them perfectly. ‘The Language of Others’ is particularly good, though I thought it was the woman’s son (Joel?) who had Asperger’s – regardless, I thought her portrayal of the son was wonderful and in many ways I could completely relate to him.
David, I agree that Morrall does a fantastic job of describing those who are a little bit different and I’m so pleased to hear that The Language of Others is one of her best. It may well be the son who has Aspergers in that book – I must have got the wrong end of the stick when reading reviews.
I hope that Kitty stays in my head for a decade. She deserves a space there!
Interesting as I have never bothered to pick this book up before now despite not knowing what it’s about. I like the fact that the synaesthesia isn’t gimmicky and the subject matter sounds very close to my own heart so maybe one to pick up
I can’t wait to hear what you think about The Snow Child (I see you’re reading it) as we don’t always agree on books and I loved it
The Book Whisperer, This is such an original book and could so easily have felt gimmicky, but the writing is so skillful. I still haven’t quite worked out your taste in books, but I suspect you might like this one.
PS. I finished The Snow Child a while ago and loved it!
Ha ha, I love that we still haven’t worked out each others taste in books yet – but I love that! It keeps us on our toes
It just goes to prove that reading a book is such a personal experience.
Definitely want to read this one. I have it somewhere in my book boxes. Sigh. When will I ever be able to put all of my books out?
Michelle, Oh no! I hope you manage to dig it out soon.
I didn’t take to this book when I read it, but what you write makes me think it might just have been the wrong moment, because I’ve liked the other two by Clare Morrall that I’ve read. The Roundabout Man recently and The Man Who Disappeared – which you might like too – last year.
FleurFisher, I can see how some people might find some aspects of this book very upsetting, but if you’ve enjoyed her others it sounds like it might be worth giving it another try. Hopefully it works the other way and I’ll love her others too.
I’ve never heard of this book. Which is odd as in 2003 I lived in England so I should have seen it around the book shops. It looks interesting!
Judith, Yes. I think this book was very big at the time. Strange how sometimes the hype can just pass us by
These characters sound so unique and this sounds like a really good read.
Kathleen, Yes. I won’t be complaining about the lack of originality with this one!
I know quite a few people who could relate to Kitty’s pain. And I just read a book that talked about synethsia too. It is hard to imagine but sounds fascinating.
Jenners, I was going to suggest that poeple who’ve felt Kitty’s pain should avoid this book, but on reflection it might help them (in a painful sort of way). At least they’d know their feelings were normal.
I really liked this and I’ve read and enjoyed all of Morrall’s novels except for Natural Flights of the Human Mind which has been long time TBR… She excells at depicting folk on the periphery of society who are most definitely not NT (neurotypical). The Roundabout Man and The Man Who Disappeared have a different feel to them but if you really liked this, Jackie, you will equally enjoy The Language of Others.
Incidentally, Jessica, the protagonist of TLoO, is most definitely an Aspie and her son has problems socialising but, if my memory serves me right, he isn’t diagnosed with ASD.