The Shock of the Fall Free Sampler

by 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.’

There are books you can’t 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 man’s descent into mental illness. It is a brave and groundbreaking novel from one of the most exciting new voices in fiction.

32 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 9, 2013

About the author

Nathan Filer is a writer and lecturer in creative writing. His stand-up poetry has been a regular fixture at festivals and spoken-word events across the UK and has been broadcast on BBC 3 television and radio 4, 7, and 5 Live. He is also a BBC Best New Filmmaker and holds an MA in creative writing from Bath Spa University. He lives in Bristol with his partner and their daughter.

Reviews

[Neel Lohit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nathan Filer's 'Costa Book of the Year 2013' award-winning debut novel "The Shock of the Fall" tackles the sensitive issues of mental illness and grief with the best way possible - with absolute abandon and panache. In a non-sentimental matter-of-fact way, it gives the readers a sneak preview into the inside world of a person grappling with schizophrenia, risen out of a deeply entrenched sense of guilt. Nathan Filer has used various ploys to depict the mental state of the protagonist - using different fonts and writing styles, abrupt beginnings and ends, repeating events and sentences - with great effect.
A brilliant, brilliant book.

[Amber Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept me wanting to read. Was a really quick book to read some sad parts some that made me laugh. Written from a child's perspective so is saddening as if you've ever experienced a death of a daily.member you can really relate to some parts maybe not all so can make you emotional too. Can't say it will be one I re read often but really good. Takes a bit too long to get to what happened in my opinion but that's just me

[Ashlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great journey of a man struggling with a mental disorder due to the loss of his brother. It shows the hold grief can have over us and it was beautiful to watch him make peace with things.

[dawn dibble · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must buy the full version

I'm hooked, what happens next? What happened to his brother? An easy yet compelling read. I'm not a regular reader so I was happy to try the sampler to make sure it was my type of book.