The Shock of the Fall

Nathan Filer is a registered mental health nurse. He is also a performance poet, contributing regularly to literary events across the UK. His work has been broadcast on television and radio. The Shock of the Fall is his first novel.

'A stunning novel. Ambitious and exquisitely realised, it's by turns shocking, harrowing and heartrending. The writing is so accomplished it's hard to believe it's a debut - it's clearly the work of a major new talent' S J WATSON

'Nathan Filer is following in the footsteps of Mark Haddon's genre-setting The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time. Both funny and painful... you're going to love it' DAILY MAIL

'Bittersweet and wonderfully etched...perceptive and moving' TELEGRAPH

'A deeply moving (but also funny) first novel' Kate Saunders, THE TIMES

'I found it dark, touching, sweet and funny and beautifully written...one of the best books about mental illness' JO BRAND

'A compelling story of grief, madness and loss. Filer has an ear for the dark comedy of life, and Matthew is a charismatic lead character who draws you in even as his world falls apart'
OBSERVER MAGAZINE

'A tragic and comic account of living with schizophrenia. A must for fans of Matthew Quick's The Silver Linings Playbook'
GQ

'A stunning debut - sad, poignant, real and very very readable. For a first time novelist, Filer has an impressive grasp of complex narrative, and a character we can all care about' STELLA DUFFY, author of The Room of Lost Thing

'A terrific debut: engaging, funny and inventive' JOE DUNTHORNE, author of Submarine

'A convincing portrayal of an articulate boy in the grip of a powerful illness, and an absorbing account of a grief undischarged' SUNDAY HERALD