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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
This book, which I read in the excellent Dutch translation, was a bit of a disappointment for me. Filer can certainly write, he skilfully moulds a narrator in the Huck Finn/Holden Caulfield tradition: a seemingly naïve but actually very perceptive youngster. The recent trend in this genre is to give it a little twist, to make the narrator a teenager who is in some way marginalized. Think of DBC Pierre's Vernon God Little, the autistic narrator of Haddon's superb Curious Incident of the Dog in Nighttime, or the teener with advanced thyroid cancer in John Green's The Fault in Our Stars (equally superb, if the first chapter that I read is anything to go by). In The Shock of the Fall the narrator is schizophrenic and wrestles with guilt over the death of his elder brother. The problem is that this never quite becomes a story. There's no riddles, no revelations and no surprising turns, there's just this boy telling us what his problems are, gradually revealing them. Except that there's little to reveal, you pretty much know everything after twenty or thirty pages.
It may be moving and it's probably very interesting for those with a special interest in the themes he touches on (mental illness, guilt), but it's not a novel.
It may be moving and it's probably very interesting for those with a special interest in the themes he touches on (mental illness, guilt), but it's not a novel.
3.75
“Writing about the past is a way of reliving it, a way of seeing it unfold all over again. We place memories on pieces of paper to know they will always exist.”
This was a real standout book for me. The writing was a bit hard to get used to at first. I was kind of having a love-hate relationship with it. Not being able to tell if I massively enjoyed it or absolutely hated it. The writing style grew on me though.
All I knew going into this was that it was a book that involved mental illness. I definitely recommend just going into like that. I really didn't know what to expect with this book. It was beautiful, powerful, heart-shattering, and really original.
This book to me is on the small list I have of all the books that are hard to read. Not "hard to read" as the vocabulary is very advanced or that the plot was incredible detailed and hard to understand. As in this book is hard to read by the content of it. The story was so heart-breaking to read, it kind of heart at times. The only other read that stands out to me that has done that is "Your Voice Is All I Hear" by Leah Shier. This book is such a stand out.
It's a story about grief and loss, the drive to madness. Watching someone grow and develop. Also we got flashbacks of the past. We often moved quickly from past and present.
“I decided each name on each spine was the person who the book had been written for, rather than who had written it. I decided everyone in the world had a book with their name on, and if I searched hard enough I'd eventually find mine.”
“Writing about the past is a way of reliving it, a way of seeing it unfold all over again. We place memories on pieces of paper to know they will always exist.”
This was a real standout book for me. The writing was a bit hard to get used to at first. I was kind of having a love-hate relationship with it. Not being able to tell if I massively enjoyed it or absolutely hated it. The writing style grew on me though.
All I knew going into this was that it was a book that involved mental illness. I definitely recommend just going into like that. I really didn't know what to expect with this book. It was beautiful, powerful, heart-shattering, and really original.
This book to me is on the small list I have of all the books that are hard to read. Not "hard to read" as the vocabulary is very advanced or that the plot was incredible detailed and hard to understand. As in this book is hard to read by the content of it. The story was so heart-breaking to read, it kind of heart at times. The only other read that stands out to me that has done that is "Your Voice Is All I Hear" by Leah Shier. This book is such a stand out.
It's a story about grief and loss, the drive to madness. Watching someone grow and develop. Also we got flashbacks of the past. We often moved quickly from past and present.
“I decided each name on each spine was the person who the book had been written for, rather than who had written it. I decided everyone in the world had a book with their name on, and if I searched hard enough I'd eventually find mine.”
LOVED this book, every word of it. I can't think of the last time I have felt such compassion for a protagonist and cared so deeply about what would happen to him.
Delightfully written and heartbreakingly presented book. Love the characters and the intentional and effective development of a young man battling a real psychological problem and his own personal demons.
Okay, we've all read books that were kinda sad....No big deal, right?
Well, this was a book that killed you slowly. You're halfway through with it and put it down and shake your head....you suddenly feel like a heavy cloud is over your head...it was a slow build up of sadness....there are times you are laughing out loud...and whilst you're reading it, you don't really feel like it's terribly sad...but Filer has a true gift of laying very thin layers of sadness upon you until finally you're completely bogged down under an extremely heavy blanket of depression. By the time I got to 2/3rds of this book, I found it difficult to read more than a dozen pages at a time before having to lay the book down....the weight of it was so great....
When I started this book, I wasn't at all sure about it. It was the Costa Book of The Year and it wasn't that famous of a book. I wanted to read it before it became totally famous. I wanted to be one of the first to read it before it just took off and all the talk biased me against it.
I found it a difficult book to get into. It's written in the main character's voice. It's difficult to follow at first because the main character, Matt, is mentally ill. He starts his story at the age of 9. His current age is 19. The book mainly focuses on flashbacks to, of course, 9, when a family tragedy occurs. Most of the other story takes place when he is 17-18. It's hard to follow because....well.....Matt is slowly spiraling down the staircase of mental illness.
When the writing finally *clicked* for me, well...that's when I realised that I was enveloped in this massive cloud of sadness. But it wasn't just depression. It wasn't all doom and gloom.....it was so depressing because Matt is so utterly, heartbreaking beautiful. His love is so pure. Even though he can't express everything he is feeling....well, his actions and what he does say....well, it just fucking broke my heart.
This....this is a book that just moved me. I loved it. I loved Matt. I felt his hopelessness but, at the same time, I felt nothing but hope. I understood his frustration. I understood his reasoning. Even though we all know that the things he came to believe...well, they are impossible....but damn it all.....who doesn't want to believe in something such as that? I understood why he both loved and hated his illness. I understand why he fought it...and why he didn't. This book carved a chunk of my heart out. I like to think that Filer replaced the missing chunk with hope and understanding....but I'm just not sure....I'm just not sure that I'm a better person now that I finished this book....I just hope I am....
I am so glad I read this one....I really hope you will too.....
Well, this was a book that killed you slowly. You're halfway through with it and put it down and shake your head....you suddenly feel like a heavy cloud is over your head...it was a slow build up of sadness....there are times you are laughing out loud...and whilst you're reading it, you don't really feel like it's terribly sad...but Filer has a true gift of laying very thin layers of sadness upon you until finally you're completely bogged down under an extremely heavy blanket of depression. By the time I got to 2/3rds of this book, I found it difficult to read more than a dozen pages at a time before having to lay the book down....the weight of it was so great....
When I started this book, I wasn't at all sure about it. It was the Costa Book of The Year and it wasn't that famous of a book. I wanted to read it before it became totally famous. I wanted to be one of the first to read it before it just took off and all the talk biased me against it.
I found it a difficult book to get into. It's written in the main character's voice. It's difficult to follow at first because the main character, Matt, is mentally ill. He starts his story at the age of 9. His current age is 19. The book mainly focuses on flashbacks to, of course, 9, when a family tragedy occurs. Most of the other story takes place when he is 17-18. It's hard to follow because....well.....Matt is slowly spiraling down the staircase of mental illness.
When the writing finally *clicked* for me, well...that's when I realised that I was enveloped in this massive cloud of sadness. But it wasn't just depression. It wasn't all doom and gloom.....it was so depressing because Matt is so utterly, heartbreaking beautiful. His love is so pure. Even though he can't express everything he is feeling....well, his actions and what he does say....well, it just fucking broke my heart.
This....this is a book that just moved me. I loved it. I loved Matt. I felt his hopelessness but, at the same time, I felt nothing but hope. I understood his frustration. I understood his reasoning. Even though we all know that the things he came to believe...well, they are impossible....but damn it all.....who doesn't want to believe in something such as that? I understood why he both loved and hated his illness. I understand why he fought it...and why he didn't. This book carved a chunk of my heart out. I like to think that Filer replaced the missing chunk with hope and understanding....but I'm just not sure....I'm just not sure that I'm a better person now that I finished this book....I just hope I am....
I am so glad I read this one....I really hope you will too.....
Also known as "The Shock of The Fall" in the UK
Okay, we've all read books that were kinda sad....No big deal, right?
Well, this was a book that killed you slowly. You're halfway through with it and put it down and shake your head....you suddenly feel like a heavy cloud is over your head...it was a slow build up of sadness....there are times you are laughing out loud...and whilst you're reading it, you don't really feel like it's terribly sad...but Filer has a true gift of laying very thin layers of sadness upon you until finally you're completely bogged down under an extremely heavy blanket of depression. By the time I got to 2/3rds of this book, I found it difficult to read more than a dozen pages at a time before having to lay the book down....the weight of it was so great....
When I started this book, I wasn't at all sure about it. It was the Costa Book of The Year and it wasn't that famous of a book. I wanted to read it before it became totally famous. I wanted to be one of the first to read it before it just took off and all the talk biased me against it.
I found it a difficult book to get into. It's written in the main character's voice. It's difficult to follow at first because the main character, Matt, is mentally ill. He starts his story at the age of 9. His current age is 19. The book mainly focuses on flashbacks to, of course, 9, when a family tragedy occurs. Most of the other story takes place when he is 17-18. It's hard to follow because....well.....Matt is slowly spiraling down the staircase of mental illness.
When the writing finally *clicked* for me, well...that's when I realised that I was enveloped in this massive cloud of sadness. But it wasn't just depression. It wasn't all doom and gloom.....it was so depressing because Matt is so utterly, heartbreaking beautiful. His love is so pure. Even though he can't express everything he is feeling....well, his actions and what he does say....well, it just fucking broke my heart.
This....this is a book that just moved me. I loved it. I loved Matt. I felt his hopelessness but, at the same time, I felt nothing but hope. I understood his frustration. I understood his reasoning. Even though we all know that the things he came to believe...well, they are impossible....but damn it all.....who doesn't want to believe in something such as that? I understood why he both loved and hated his illness. I understand why he fought it...and why he didn't. This book carved a chunk of my heart out. I like to think that Filer replaced the missing chunk with hope and understanding....but I'm just not sure....I'm just not sure that I'm a better person now that I finished this book....I just hope I am....
I am so glad I read this one....I really hope you will too.....
Okay, we've all read books that were kinda sad....No big deal, right?
Well, this was a book that killed you slowly. You're halfway through with it and put it down and shake your head....you suddenly feel like a heavy cloud is over your head...it was a slow build up of sadness....there are times you are laughing out loud...and whilst you're reading it, you don't really feel like it's terribly sad...but Filer has a true gift of laying very thin layers of sadness upon you until finally you're completely bogged down under an extremely heavy blanket of depression. By the time I got to 2/3rds of this book, I found it difficult to read more than a dozen pages at a time before having to lay the book down....the weight of it was so great....
When I started this book, I wasn't at all sure about it. It was the Costa Book of The Year and it wasn't that famous of a book. I wanted to read it before it became totally famous. I wanted to be one of the first to read it before it just took off and all the talk biased me against it.
I found it a difficult book to get into. It's written in the main character's voice. It's difficult to follow at first because the main character, Matt, is mentally ill. He starts his story at the age of 9. His current age is 19. The book mainly focuses on flashbacks to, of course, 9, when a family tragedy occurs. Most of the other story takes place when he is 17-18. It's hard to follow because....well.....Matt is slowly spiraling down the staircase of mental illness.
When the writing finally *clicked* for me, well...that's when I realised that I was enveloped in this massive cloud of sadness. But it wasn't just depression. It wasn't all doom and gloom.....it was so depressing because Matt is so utterly, heartbreaking beautiful. His love is so pure. Even though he can't express everything he is feeling....well, his actions and what he does say....well, it just fucking broke my heart.
This....this is a book that just moved me. I loved it. I loved Matt. I felt his hopelessness but, at the same time, I felt nothing but hope. I understood his frustration. I understood his reasoning. Even though we all know that the things he came to believe...well, they are impossible....but damn it all.....who doesn't want to believe in something such as that? I understood why he both loved and hated his illness. I understand why he fought it...and why he didn't. This book carved a chunk of my heart out. I like to think that Filer replaced the missing chunk with hope and understanding....but I'm just not sure....I'm just not sure that I'm a better person now that I finished this book....I just hope I am....
I am so glad I read this one....I really hope you will too.....
I echo the other Goodreaders who found this book tiresome. There are interesting unsympathetic characters and then there are the ones who make you want to shut the book. The protagonist of this book is the second type. I couldn't bring myself to care what happened on that fateful evening.
Fascinating insight into mental health and people kept in hospital due to their vulnerability. Had to concentrate as the story jumped around quite a bit, but I guess represented the reality of Matthew's mind.
this book is so good, and so painful!
as I have a lot of expirience With mental illness, both personal and as a Close relative, this book hurt me deep inside, but it is so beautiful! even tho my heart still hurts when I think about it, especially some parts, I just loved it. how it is written from the iside of a mentally ill teenagers head is Perfect, and as the Author is a mental nurse he Writes With conviction.
I really hope he will continue writing in the future.
as I have a lot of expirience With mental illness, both personal and as a Close relative, this book hurt me deep inside, but it is so beautiful! even tho my heart still hurts when I think about it, especially some parts, I just loved it. how it is written from the iside of a mentally ill teenagers head is Perfect, and as the Author is a mental nurse he Writes With conviction.
I really hope he will continue writing in the future.