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midnightbagel 's review for:
The Shock of the Fall
by Nathan Filer
*4.75*
I don't know what's stopping me from giving this a full five stars, so I'm gonna bump it up to five but keep my official rating a little lower just because. Regardless, I really loved this book. It was something completely different than anything I'd read before, & I loved how unique and real it felt.
Plot- I really don't want to say a lot about what the plot specifically is, because I think it's revealed very well slowly throughout the novel. It is about a narrator with mental illness, and it examines the aspect of mental illness as well as the effect of grief on a family. It's told in a non-linear format, & I think it works very well. I was confused at some parts, but it was totally intentional, and it worked. I loved the way the plot developed, and how the story of the past was just as important as what was going on in the present. I read this super quickly, I was so invested in it, and I was never bored. I really liked how unique the novel was in its setup, it made it feel more real. The themes were presented beautifully, and the development of those themes and the plot itself felt very natural. I also really liked the ending, I actually found it inspirational, and really hopeful, despite everything else in the novel. Additionally, I liked how it showed that just because you have a mental illness does not mean you're crazy 24/7 and can't function.
Writing- I adored the writing in this. It was so raw, real and so true to the narrator. You could tell the author really got into the head of his character, and the writing felt natural. It also was very beautiful, and had some powerful passages about topics such as memories, and life in general. I also liked the inclusion of drawings throughout, and the added switch of font (if you've read it you know what I mean), it really breathed life into the novel & made it feel like you were actually there when Matt was writing it.
Characters- I was surprised at how connected to these characters I became. I really felt for our narrator Matt, and I just felt a real attachment to him. I thought his progression through the novel was really well done in my opinion. I thought the rest of the characters were really well fleshed out, like I really felt like I knew Nanny Noo, and I was surprised by it by the time I was done. That to me means character done well, when you know the characters, and you become attached and you don't even notice it, it just feels natural.
Overall- I really liked this book. As I've said before, I really like unique books, and I think this is a unique book. I can't say if it represented mental illness in the most truthful way, as I've never experienced the type of mental illness expressed in this, the author was a mental health nurse, so he has good ethos going on that front. I think this book felt very real, and I liked that a lot, and I will definitely recommend this to people, especially if you liked It's Kind of a Funny Story. I feel like this is a more adult, gritty cousin of that book.
I don't know what's stopping me from giving this a full five stars, so I'm gonna bump it up to five but keep my official rating a little lower just because. Regardless, I really loved this book. It was something completely different than anything I'd read before, & I loved how unique and real it felt.
Plot- I really don't want to say a lot about what the plot specifically is, because I think it's revealed very well slowly throughout the novel. It is about a narrator with mental illness, and it examines the aspect of mental illness as well as the effect of grief on a family. It's told in a non-linear format, & I think it works very well. I was confused at some parts, but it was totally intentional, and it worked. I loved the way the plot developed, and how the story of the past was just as important as what was going on in the present. I read this super quickly, I was so invested in it, and I was never bored. I really liked how unique the novel was in its setup, it made it feel more real. The themes were presented beautifully, and the development of those themes and the plot itself felt very natural. I also really liked the ending, I actually found it inspirational, and really hopeful, despite everything else in the novel. Additionally, I liked how it showed that just because you have a mental illness does not mean you're crazy 24/7 and can't function.
Writing- I adored the writing in this. It was so raw, real and so true to the narrator. You could tell the author really got into the head of his character, and the writing felt natural. It also was very beautiful, and had some powerful passages about topics such as memories, and life in general. I also liked the inclusion of drawings throughout, and the added switch of font (if you've read it you know what I mean), it really breathed life into the novel & made it feel like you were actually there when Matt was writing it.
Characters- I was surprised at how connected to these characters I became. I really felt for our narrator Matt, and I just felt a real attachment to him. I thought his progression through the novel was really well done in my opinion. I thought the rest of the characters were really well fleshed out, like I really felt like I knew Nanny Noo, and I was surprised by it by the time I was done. That to me means character done well, when you know the characters, and you become attached and you don't even notice it, it just feels natural.
Overall- I really liked this book. As I've said before, I really like unique books, and I think this is a unique book. I can't say if it represented mental illness in the most truthful way, as I've never experienced the type of mental illness expressed in this, the author was a mental health nurse, so he has good ethos going on that front. I think this book felt very real, and I liked that a lot, and I will definitely recommend this to people, especially if you liked It's Kind of a Funny Story. I feel like this is a more adult, gritty cousin of that book.