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.’
‘Ambitious and exquisitely realised, it’s by turns shocking, harrowing and heartrending’
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
‘Dark, touching, sweet and funny and beautifully written’
‘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’
‘Utterly convincing… Filer has created a character of real value’
‘A terrific debut: engaging, funny and inventive’
‘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’
‘A deeply moving (but also funny) first novel’
‘Bittersweet and wonderfully etched’
‘Astonishingly sure-footed’
‘A truly important book. Radically open-hearted and vitally open-minded. Read it, and share it, and talk about it.’