The Shock of the Fall | Nathan Filer

"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."

Nathan Filer's award-winning debut novel, 'The Shock of the Fall' is a wonderfully penned, and deeply compelling novel in which we witness Matt Holmes, a 19-year-old schizophrenic spiral into mental illness after the death of his older brother, Simon. Filer's charming writing style (channeled through Matt's old typewriter) coupled with typographical tricks and doodles makes for a thrilling, and gripping novel. 

13 pages in, and Simon is dead. You only have to lay eyes on this rapid opening, and you already know the next 294 pages are going to be good. Matt goes on to reveal the circumstances of the death as the novel progresses, and his guilt is evident throughout. The way Filer has penned his voice is pure beauty to read: blunt, frank, puzzled but most importantly, determined. He transforms the setting of the book with ease; from the caravan park, to Matt's flat, to the mental ward, and back again. It is as if you have been engulfed by the page and are travelling with our protagonist. 

The novel manages to overcome a rather grim prognosis with the constant use of humour and caustic remarks. Our main character is the main source of these mordant comments; when joking about his medical notes he writes,"Matthew … suffers from command hallucinations, which he attributes to a dead sibling. Crazy shit, eh?"

Filer also successfully intersperses quirky characters in the story to break up some of the possible melancholy. My personal favourites would have to be "Claire-or-maybe-Anna" and Matt's ever-trying grandmother "Nanny-Noo". 

Filer's incredible penmanship, techniques, characters and expressive views all add up to make a beautiful piece of literature -  a thoroughly gripping, and engaging novel. Go and get a copy for yourself!