The Shock of the Fall
‘I’ll tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce you to 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.’
‘Dark, touching, sweet and funny and beautifully written’
Winner Of
The Costa Book Of The Year
The National Book Award For Popular Fiction
The Betty Trask Prize
The Writers’ Guild Award for Best First Novel
Short Film
‘A gripping, exhilarating read… dazzlingly rendered’
‘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’
‘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’
‘Bittersweet and wonderfully etched’
‘A deeply moving (but also funny) first novel’
‘Filer has an incisive eye for detail… authentic, funny and hauntingly sad’
‘Utterly convincing… Filer has created a character of real value’
‘A convincing portrayal of an articulate boy in the grip of a powerful illness, and an absorbing account of a grief undischarged’
'The Heartland is a brilliant, beautiful and bold book. It is illuminating and empathetic and needs to be read by all'