Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer
Winner of the Costa First Book award
This is a sad book. The protagonist Matthew lives a rackety unfulfilled life as a young adult - partly in a pokey highrise flat and partly in a local ward of a psych hospital where he has been given a ‘schizophrenia’ diagnosis - and where he literally has nothing to do, and nothing to fill his days. Except smoking and taking extremely debilitating doses of psychiatric drugs.
He is eloquent and touching speaking of his family - who love him unconditionally and support him through it all. There has been a great tragedy earlier in his life - and he can’t detach from it and feel free of the unnecessary guilt he carries.
It’s refreshingly written; sometimes illustrated, sometimes changes of typeface and gaps in the text.
Filer is an honest writer and spares his audience not much. He is or has been a mental health nurse so he knows his territory.
Definitely worth reading.
Polly Mortimer
No comments:
Post a Comment