The Shock of The Fall - Nathan Filer

This is book is extermly unique; which I imagine is not something that others who have read this may think. If you have ever read 'A curious case of the dog in the nighttime' then you will find some parralels here, and if you enjoyed the Curious Case then this book is definatly a must read for you.

The reason I say it is unique is because you truly get a proper insight into what it feels like to suffer from a mental health condition. Not that you don't get that from Curious case, but this story leaves you bewildered, lost and confused- allowing the reader to truly appreciate how living with conditions such as the one that the main character suffers from, actually feels like. Due to the nature of the illness in Curious Case the story is much more straight forward than that in The Shock of The fall and offers an honestly different view of mental health illnesses.

The writing style of the author really lends itself to the storyline, and in places the narrative is truly wonderful and vivid. In addition to this the way this book is written and printed really breaks up the story so you don't have to fight to understand it as much as if it was written in a traditional straight forward manner. Obviously this style also lends itself perfectly to the narrative voice of the main character, Matt, but still evolves with Matt as he gets older, something most authors would have failed to adapt to.

Matt is a stunning character in himself- beautifully portrayed and you can't help but let your heart break for him. His journey is truly interesting and the detail of his personality is vital for the story. I also adored the characters of Matt's parents who take on a background evolution through the book that is also gripping to read and something I havn't really experienced on this scale to much in books before. Again the writing style lends itself to waves and waves of detail which, as I'm sure has become apparent if you keep up to date with this blog, is something I love in books.

I have no real complaints about The Shock of the Fall, a side from I imagine some readers may not enjoy the jumpimg about of the time frame, which I admit does take a little while to get used to, but is not something that really impares the reading of the book. This book is outstanding, a true gem and so worth the read- for all ages (however teenagers please keep in mind that this is not young adult).