parts of "The Shock of the Fall" that aim to evoke sentimentality and sorrow, fall a little flat, The narration is very yappy, but that being said there are some nice quotes and occasional tenderness throughout the book,
The plot was often gearing towards how Simon died, which really could have been told from the very beginning seen as the story was told from the perspective of Matthew who was a witness but instead it wasn't revealed till the very end.
I acknowledge that it is a traumatic memory for Matthew but it didn't make much sense for him to wait so long to tell the reader given that Simon was one of the main subject matters of the book, and also because he was undergoing treatment for a large part of the story which involved counselling which would usually involve confronting traumatic memories.
The entire memory of the death incident should have floated through Matthew's head at least once at an earlier stage in the story.
When a book is being told from the perspective of a character, the reader is inside the character's head and therefore there are no secrets.
But maybe I am only complaining about this as I found the death scene anticlimatic and not very surprising or memorable,
Another issue with the character of Matthew, is that Matthew is a diagnosed schizophrenic but does not consistently exhibit the disorder.
He does act strange on occasion but overall his language is coherent and his thought patterns are not that disrupted, Come to think of it, I don't think that a story could be told from the perspective of a schizophrenic as it would be very confusing and unintentionally erratic and I say this not with the intention of trivializing schizophrenia but instead highlighting how tragic a condition it really is, as it mentally separates sufferers of the disorder from the real world and sections them into a darker and isolating world due to erosion of cognitive functions.
I think that the story would have been better told from the perspective of Simon's mother or else a third person narrative with Matthew still being a main character.
WINNER OF THE COSTA BOOK OF THE YEAR
'I'll tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce my brother.
His name's Simon. I think you're going to like him, I really do. But in a couple of pages he'll be dead, And he was never the same after that, '
Debut novel about one man's descent into mental illness, following the death of his brother in childhood, Filer is a mental health nurse with a unique and startling insight into mental illness, and this book highlights a muchneglected subject.
Such an unbelievably honest story, .stars
Nathan Filers debut stunned me and left me speechless, Its been a long time since I read something so beautifully written,
Where the Moon Isnt is a story told by Matthew Homes, a mentally ill nineteenyearold, Its a metafictional novel, as Matthew constantly and intentionally exposes himself as the author and communicates openly with the readers, He provides excuses when hes unable to explain something or offer further details, He makes constant remarks about his mental stability, and his reasons for writing the story,
Matthews problems started when he lost his older brother Simon, Simon was a child with special needs and Matt often resented him for being the center of their parents attention, But when Simon died in an accident partly caused by Matthew, he kept on living in Matthews head, a product of his guild and schizophrenia combined.
From the start, Matthews placement in the mental institution and his slightly odd storytelling hint at the possibility that hes not the most reliable of narrators.
It is almost impossible to discern which parts of his story are true, and which are the product of a damaged mind.
Matthew is only nineteen, extremely vulnerable, and his thoughts are all over the place, jumping through space and time from one short chapter to the next.
But still, its
his unforgettable voice that holds this narrative together firmly and effortlessly,
Ill tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce my brother, His names Simon. I think youre going to like him, I really do. But in a couple of pages hell be dead, And he was never the same after that,
As Matthews mental health deteriorates, his narration becomes less coherent, often making no sense whatsoever, His relationships with family and his only friend go downhill fast, because, as Matt himself keeps pointing out, schizophrenia is a selfish illness.
There is a lot of resentment between Matt and his parents, His early teen years were rebellious, probably because the schizophrenia already affected his moods, and he made life difficult for everyone, himself included.
Even though Matthew grows in this story, his mental illness isnt taken lightly as something that can be fixed overnight, It is a constant, lifelong struggle one needs to accept and make peace with,
Nathan Filer is a brilliant young author with so much to offer, His first novel is endearingly odd and in many ways spectacular, I simply cant wait to see what hell come up with next,
sitelink
We are selfish my illness and I, We think only of ourselves, We shape the world around us into messages, into secret whispers spoken only for us,
.stars. This was upsetting, but very insightful, To describe the descent into schizophrenia in such a vivid and moving way, you must have some experience with this illness in real life.
So it made perfect sense when I read that the author has been a registered mental health nurse, working in psychiatric wards, for more than a decade.
I think what I liked most about the book, is how Nathan Filer played with time, The story keeps jumping around in time, and quite a few times I wasn't sure where we were, This is what it must be like for Mat all the time Time falls through my fingers, You can also feel the incredible sadness that surrounds the whole family after Simon died, and see how everyone tries to cope with the situation.
Matthew is one of the most honest characters I've ever met, but that's possibly because his reality is not as fixed as most other people.
Also, I loved the cover,
I read the majority of this book within the lasthours, I just couldnt stop reading and even neglected some of the stuff I shouldve been doing instead, Oops. But good books have the ability to make you forget everything around you, and The Shock of the Fall did just that.
Ill tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce my brother, His names Simon. I think youre going to like him, I really do. But in a couple of pages hell be dead, And he was never the same after that,
There are books you cant stop reading, which keep you up all night, There are books which let us into the hidden parts of life and make them vividly real, There are books which, because of the sheer skill with which every word is chosen, linger in your mind for days, The Shock of the Fall is all of these books,
The Shock of the Fall is an extraordinary portrait of one mans descent into mental illness, It is a brave and groundbreaking novel from one of the most exciting new voices in fiction,
My favorite aspect of this book was probably the style of narration and the fact that the book was a metafiction in some ways.
The protagonist and narrator Matthew is writing down his own story in various places and over a longer timespan, while his life is still progressing.
We learn about conflicts in the past and in the present day, He often interrupts his own narration, reflecting on what he already mentioned and sometimes even foreshadowing on what's going to happen later.
I will say however, that I was very happy that I knew about this style of narration before going into this book, because it mightve confused me at first.
Im convinced that Matthews voice is the reason why the book had the same strange addicting quality that these kind of books often have for me other examples include Its Kind of a Funny Story, We Have Always Lived in The Castle, Forgive Me Leonard Peacock wow, these are all some hefty titles! :D.
Mentally unstable narrators who offer unique views of the world are so interesting to me, and I love getting inside of their head.
You could really feel how Nathan Filer immersed himself into this character and this story, so I couldnt help but completely immerse myself as well.
There was also a short interview with the author in the back of my edition which offered some insight into his work process, which was really interesting!
Somehow, I was really happy about the fact hat there was no romantic interest in this book, even though its technically a YA book, and I rarely see YA books without some sort of romantic story line.
However, sometimes it feels like a romance is just thrown into the story for good measure, This book completely worked without romance even though I would still say that it's a book about love, . . just a different kind of love! and I really appreciate that!
So, yeah, That's all I wanted to say for now, If this review has made you curious in any way, definitely give this book a try! It's worth your time, Nathan Filer's Debut Novel The Shock of The Fall is haunting and very real insight to death and mental illness,
I was recommended this novel and was assured it was a good audio book as I struggle with audio as opposed to reading and I have to say the narrator is excellent and he totally draws you into the character of Matthew to such an extinct that you feel it is actually Matthew narrating the story.
Matt Holmes is ayear old schizophrenic struggling within the mental health system who decides to put his thoughts to paper when his Nana buys him an old typewriter and hopes his scribbling and notes will be therapeutic and bring him some freedom.
I have an illness, a disease with the shape and sound of a snake, Whenever I learn something new it learns it too, . My illness knows everything I know,
The story is an unsettling and yet important one and really makes you think about the difficult subject of mental illness and the struggles of patients and families.
I believe the author worked in this field himself and therefore had a good insight into the topic he choose to write about.
It is by no means an uplifting story but it definitely is worth reading, It may not be everyone's cup of tea but I think if you have a look at the reviews and do choose to read it you will not be disappointed.
This would make a good book club read as there is plenty of discussion in it, I loved the cover and the title of this book and will buy a copy as would like to have it to read another time.
Another novel to prove, if proof was needed, how utterly heartless and without pity I am becoming.
Sorry, Nathan Filer, I come to rain all over your parade, Well, quite a lot of it,
The blurb has these three little sentences:
There are books you cant stop reading, which keep you up all night
Well, I actually was reading this most of last night, but thats because I had insomnia.
There are books which let us into the hidden parts of life and make them vividly real,
Referring to the world of the schizophrenic, since thats what this novel is all about, But I wouldnt call mentally ill young people and their lives in and out of institutions a hidden part of life , there are movies Broken, Silver Linings Playbook, etc etc and books sitelink Henrys Demons recommended and lots of others, its not terra incognita.
There are books which, because of the sheer skill with which every word is chosen, linger in your mind for days.
Wow, fire that blurb writer! For days you say! Sheer skill I suppose with not so much skill a book will only linger for minutes.
So yeah, they still crank out this silly OTT hypegloop,
THE BIG BLACK PLOT DEVICE
This book won the Costa first novel award, so what do I know.
I was almost completely unthrilled, It was tiresome. I mean to say, theres this big thing which is hinted at in the first few pages and which hangs over the rest of novel like a Big Black Cloud About to Burst Forth With Torrential Rain.
The schizophrenic brother whose impressionistic memoir/confession we are reading has in some way caused the death of his Down Syndrome brother yes, this is a blighted family.
Cornily, the Big Reveal of What Really Happened That Fateful Day is coughed up only on page, The fake suspense of waiting to find out what you figure out roughly from pagedoes not kill you, It just makes you think oh are they still using this plot device They should really stop,
I thought I would only write a three line bahhumbug review, but the sheer skill with which every single word was chosen has made the crabbiness I felt linger in my mind for hours.
ID LIKE TO TEACH THE WORLD TO SING IN PERFECT HARMONY BUT I DONT THINK ILL GET ROUND TO IT
It says here
The comedian Jo Brand has called The Shock of the Fall "one of the best books about mental illness" and judges for the Costa book awards said it was a novel "so good it will make you feel a better person".
Maybe it is, maybe it will, But I thought the bleak realism and painful memories of Matts story did not then mean it was okay to ladle dollops of sentimental goop into the mix.
Its strange how wildly different reactions to novels can be look at the lovegush that puthered all over Donna Tartts latest whopper, and look at sitelink this rather good review here.
SOMETHING I DID LIKE
You do get a very strong sense of the mental bind that some patients or : “service users”! get into once theyre sucked into the mental health biz.
The regime is almost designed to engender fear and distrust, Theyre confined to a facility, And drugs are administered to them, all of which have horrible side effects even the drugs they give you to combat the side effects of the first drugs.
And theres no choice in any of this, They have proved theyre incapable of existing in the outside world in one way or another, so there they are, heres their diagnosis, theres the drugs if you dont take thosepills well inject you and theres your room.
So, the patients become locked into a lowlevel interior guerrilla war against the people who are trying to help them, Inside their heads as well as fighting their illness every mental patient is either consciously or unconsciously Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest.
The staff are their enemies even the nice ones, Matt : I dont hate these people, I just hate not having the choice to get rid of them, The terminology is dehumanising, Their lives are deserts of idle hours spent smoking with a guy who talks to his tattoos, Or daytime tv, your choice,
Last time I went into the office to borrow the Nursing Dictionary, I counted three mugs, a mouse mat, a bunch of pens, two PostIt note booklets and the wall clock all sporting the brands of different medicines.
It's like being in prison and having to look at adverts for fucking locks,
SOMETHING ELSE I LIKED
Matt is haunted by his dead brother
If the tap choked and spluttered before the water came, he was saying Im lonely.
When I opened a bottle of Dr Pepper and the caramel bubbles fizzed over the rim, he was asking me to come out and play.
He could speak through an itch, the certainty of a sneeze, the aftertaste of tablets, or the way sugar fell from a spoon.
No doubt at all, this book has its heart in the right place, unlike mine, which was abandoned a long time ago in a left luggage locker in a train station in a town whose name I no longer recall.
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