The debut novel that catapulted Clare Morrall on to the Booker shortlist, a compelling and affecting tale of a woman whose longing to have children and for the mother she never knew leads her into serious trouble. .

Kitty Wellington, the narrator of Clare Morrall's absorbing sure-footed first novel, has been brought up in a large family by her painter father. Surrounded by older brothers, she has no real recollection of either her mother, who was killed in a car crash, or her sister, who ran away from home.

The great strength of the novel is Kitty herself. Morrall has provided her with a compelling narrative voice - wry, confiding, perceptive. Echoes from JM Barrie's disturbing masterpiece are quietly sounded, with particular emphasis on missing mothers and "lost boys".

"Astonishing Splashes of Colour is not a showy book, but it is extremely well written and compulsively readable. At her very first attempt, Morrall has written a genuinely solid and satisfying work of fiction, skilfully plotted and fielding a cast of fully realised and individualised characters. More, please." - The Sunday Times

"This is a novel that never puts a foot wrong, despite a storyline that takes some surprising twists and turns. It is confident, astute and moving...Morrall reveals [Kitty's] mystery artfully and convincingly, telling a story that is shocking, heart-stopping and completely absorbing" - Observer

"An extremely good first novel: deceptively simple, subtly observed, with a plot that drags you along like a strong current" - Daily Mail

"Fresh, frightening and raw. There's nothing in the least depressing about this nevertheless sad story, certainly nothing remotely sentimental." - Margaret Forster