Come and chat to Costa Prize winner Nathan Filer about THE SHOCK OF THE FALL on Tue 24 June, 9-10pm

[TillyBookClub]

Nathan Filer's extraordinary debut, The Shock of the Fall, beat off strong competition to scoop the 2013 Costa prize, and has been described as the literary equivalent of Silver Linings Playbook.

Filer was a mental health nurse when he enrolled on a Creative Writing MA, and the result is a sharp, engaging and enlightening novel about (among other things), living with schizophrenia. Matthew, the narrator, is an astonishingly convincing character who is dark, funny and articulate. He also believes he can talk to his dead brother. He pieces together his family's story, including a shocking accident and the aftermath of grief and isolation, whilst slowly coming to a coherent understanding of the events. Matthew is an outstanding creation, with an entirely authentic voice, and a haunting presence that lingers after the book has ended.

You can find out more at our book of the month page and you can follow Nathan on Twitter @nathanfiler

HarperCollins have 50 free copies to give to Mumsnetters – to claim yours please go to our book of the month page and fill in your details. We'll post here when all the copies have gone.

We are delighted that Nathan will be joining us to discuss The Shock of the Fall, his inspiration and his writing life on Tuesday 24 June, 9-10pm. So please feel free to discuss the book here throughout the month, pop up any advance questions and we hope to see you here on 24 June.

Hi Nathan. Thank you for writing this gorgeous book. It's one of those books you want to carry round, cuddling and stroking. I've worked in mental health and general practice and found your book therapeutic and optimistic. I have posted a mumsnet book review (here).

There is a quote from an interview with Vanessa Fox O'Loughlin on an Irish writing website here where you say "This work took its shape in the telling, it was written mostly with the delete key. I wrote a lot of rubbish, I got to see what belonged in the book by getting rid of the stuff that didn't. It's not an approach I would necessarily recommend."

My question is What shape was your novel in before starting your Bath Spa Creative Writing MA course, and what shape was it after? And, in view of the above quote, now you are a lecturer on that course, How do you advise your own students to approach writing a novel?

I worked for years as a MHP and just wanted to affirm that yes, Nathan you get it (as you should being a MHP yourself).

I am helping the NSFTCrisis campaign to highlight the devastating effects of the Radical Redesign (AKA severe cuts) upon mental health services in Norfolk and Suffolk. Are you aware of this campaign and would you consider lending your voice to it ir offering a quote the campaign can use? I realise you probably have every MH stat and non stat organsation asking for your support but nothing ventured, nothing gained if I don't ask :)

I'm not sure I will be able to join the web chat, but, thanks to MN, I have read this excellent book. I am a nurse, though not in MH,and it is clear from the writing that Nathan has a lot of experience in the field. When I finished the book, I wasn't quite sure how I felt, other than wanting to know what happens to Matthew next. I was quite overwhelmed. The characters were vivid and very well constructed. The child's view of his mum's bereavement process was also well done. Matthew's descent into illness was so realistic, even down to Jacob's reaction as his friend. I am looking forward to Nathan's second novel.

Thank you Mumsnet for my copy!
I can't join the webchat tonight, but my question for Nathan is: you write about grief, and loss, and mental health issues, and a complex character who goes through some terrible events, and yet you manage to leave the reader and Matt on an upbeat note at the end. How do you do this without the book seeming too schmaltzy (which it doesn't, btw). And do you have any advice for other writers tackling 'difficult' subjects?
Thank you!

Thanks mumsnet for my free copy of this wonderful book. I haven't finished reading yet, but I have to say I was instantly mesmerised by the narrative, and felt very much drawn into the child's viewpoint element. The transition in the narrative between Matt's childhood and adulthood is crafted subtly and masterfully, beautifully interwoven with glints of both hope and terror in Matt's perceptions of and experiences with family members around him .I thought I was indifferent to the characters until I read the letter from Simon to Matt that is actually a creation of Matt and I cried! I think that might be the sign of greatness in this book; little by little , and without you quite realising it, you develop an intrinsic familiarity and empathy with the characters .

I have a question for Nathan:

What was the main reason that Matt felt bitter towards his mum?
( I tried to figure this out whilst reading the book. Was it because he had always felt like a third party when Simon was alive? did he feel his mum blamed him for Simon's death? Did his mum remind him of Simon? Did she take out her sadness on Matt and did he therefore feel deprived of a normal childhood? Did her depression make him feel neglected? Or a combination of the above?)

Thank you very much for my free copy of the book. I wasn't sure if the subject matter was really me, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought it was incredibly well, and sensitively, written. It provided a fresh look at the portrayal of mental health issues within literature.

I also liked the inclusion of grief within a whole family. It was interesting to see the family dynamics, and how they were affected by grief.

My question to the author is: did you always want to portray Matt's parents as being very understanding about his mental health problems? And would you say this is a typical reaction in your experience?

I thought this book was excellent. Matt, the narrator, is a convincing voice and captured the struggle of living with schizophrenia. I'm a Dr and certainly found this very insightful into what is a complex and devastating diagnosis.

I thought it was very moving and also realistic with regards to the onward prognosis. There is no happy ending but I was left with a sense of optimism for Matt and his family.

The book made me think about the two brothers and how each had to live with a condition, one physically obvious but one invisible, but both with their own difficulties. I thought interweaving this with the struggle of bereavement and grief was so powerful. I was def in tears by the end, and very moved.

So thank you Nathan, and I look forward to your next book. And thank you Mumsnet for sending me my copy, what a treat!

Evening everyone??

Firstly, a big thank you to all those who posted the above messages and reviews and looking forward to hearing from many more of you over the next hour.

I’m delighted to introduce Nathan Filer - winner of the Costa Prize, writer, poet, film-maker, lecturer and father to a baby daughter – to Bookclub tonight.

Nathan, thank you very, very much indeed for giving us your time tonight. And congratulations on your Costa Prize and your excellent, eye-opening and thought-provoking novel. We've already got a fair few questions to get through so I'll just add our standard Mumsnet ones and then off we go...??

What childhood book most inspired you?

What would be the first piece of advice you would give to anyone attempting to write fiction?

Over to you...

@TillyBookClub

Evening everyone??

Firstly, a big thank you to all those who posted the above messages and reviews and looking forward to hearing from many more of you over the next hour.

I?m delighted to introduce Nathan Filer - winner of the Costa Prize, writer, poet, film-maker, lecturer and father to a baby daughter ? to Bookclub tonight.

Nathan, thank you very, very much indeed for giving us your time tonight. And congratulations on your Costa Prize and your excellent, eye-opening and thought-provoking novel. We've already got a fair few questions to get through so I'll just add our standard Mumsnet ones and then off we go...??

What childhood book most inspired you?

What would be the first piece of advice you would give to anyone attempting to write fiction?

Over to you...

Hello Tilly! Hello all.

It's really lovely to be here, and thanks to everyone who has posted comments already. I'll get through as many as I can...

@NathanFiler

[quote TillyBookClub] Evening everyone??

Firstly, a big thank you to all those who posted the above messages and reviews and looking forward to hearing from many more of you over the next hour.

I?m delighted to introduce Nathan Filer - winner of the Costa Prize, writer, poet, film-maker, lecturer and father to a baby daughter ? to Bookclub tonight.

Nathan, thank you very, very much indeed for giving us your time tonight. And congratulations on your Costa Prize and your excellent, eye-opening and thought-provoking novel. We've already got a fair few questions to get through so I'll just add our standard Mumsnet ones and then off we go...??

What childhood book most inspired you?

What would be the first piece of advice you would give to anyone attempting to write fiction?

Over to you...

Hello Tilly! Hello all.

It's really lovely to be here, and thanks to everyone who has posted comments already. I'll get through as many as I can...[/quote]

Okay...

Childhood book:

As a child I refused to read anything.

My parents were both avid readers, and my mum in particular was keen to see me bitten by the bug. The more she tried the harder I'd resist (I must hold a world record for the slowest, most laboured reading of Flat Stanley). I had a determined lack of interest. I don't suppose that's so unusual, especially for boys. We can put too much pressure on children to read. I believe there are more important things in life.

What I did enjoy was writing stories of my own. I remember when I was nine I set about trying to write a horror novel. Not a short story, but a whole novel.

Or more to the point – a book.

I think this makes sense, in a Freudian sort of way. I would see my parents reading. Our house was full of books. Books, as objects, fascinated me.

My journey into reading came later. As a teenager a friend lent me The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan and the penny finally dropped. So this is what a novel can be. I was astounded by it. Still am really. McEwan remains my favourite author.

Today my shelves are full – complete with a signed, first edition of The Cement Garden. Five shelves below are all the books that my wife and I have been been collecting for our baby daughter. Lots of C.S Lewis, Beatrix Potter, AA Milne. She's still too young to read, but seems to enjoy them very much as objects.

I must buy her Flat Stanley.

And, repeat.

@NathanFiler

[quote NathanFiler] [quote TillyBookClub] Evening everyone??

Firstly, a big thank you to all those who posted the above messages and reviews and looking forward to hearing from many more of you over the next hour.

I?m delighted to introduce Nathan Filer - winner of the Costa Prize, writer, poet, film-maker, lecturer and father to a baby daughter ? to Bookclub tonight.

Nathan, thank you very, very much indeed for giving us your time tonight. And congratulations on your Costa Prize and your excellent, eye-opening and thought-provoking novel. We've already got a fair few questions to get through so I'll just add our standard Mumsnet ones and then off we go...??

What childhood book most inspired you?

What would be the first piece of advice you would give to anyone attempting to write fiction?

Over to you...

Hello Tilly! Hello all.

It's really lovely to be here, and thanks to everyone who has posted comments already. I'll get through as many as I can...[/quote]

Okay...

Childhood book:

As a child I refused to read anything.

My parents were both avid readers, and my mum in particular was keen to see me bitten by the bug. The more she tried the harder I'd resist (I must hold a world record for the slowest, most laboured reading of Flat Stanley). I had a determined lack of interest. I don't suppose that's so unusual, especially for boys. We can put too much pressure on children to read. I believe there are more important things in life.

What I did enjoy was writing stories of my own. I remember when I was nine I set about trying to write a horror novel. Not a short story, but a whole novel.

Or more to the point ? a book.

I think this makes sense, in a Freudian sort of way. I would see my parents reading. Our house was full of books. Books, as objects, fascinated me.

My journey into reading came later. As a teenager a friend lent me The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan and the penny finally dropped. So this is what a novel can be. I was astounded by it. Still am really. McEwan remains my favourite author.

Today my shelves are full ? complete with a signed, first edition of The Cement Garden. Five shelves below are all the books that my wife and I have been been collecting for our baby daughter. Lots of C.S Lewis, Beatrix Potter, AA Milne. She's still too young to read, but seems to enjoy them very much as objects.

I must buy her Flat Stanley.

And, repeat.[/quote]

And first piece of advice:

Start that page half way down.

If you're anything like me then you may need to write your way into scenes, but it is usually a few paragraphs before anything interesting happens. That's fine. Write away, find your feet. But then delete those first three paragraphs. They were for you, not the reader.

Put the reader straight into the action, straight away.

That's my 'creative writing' advice. But I think there is so much more to writing than the words we put on the page. There's staying sane for a start. I've written more about this here: nathanfiler.co.uk/?cat=0

@Mick15

Thank you for my copy which arrived a few days ago. I'm about 1/3rd into the book (my first from Mumsnet) I found the first few pages tricky to follow but I'm really enjoying it now. I'm trying to find big chunks of time to read because I'm finding it easier to digest if I can really get into Mathew's thought flow. The book is beautifully written with colourful and engaging detail (I had one of those Donky Kong games). My question to Nathan Filer would be "do you think it makes a difference if the reader knows what the book is about before they start reading and would you suggest it's better to know or not know a book when you read? How does this impact on the experience?" Many thanks, Ellie.

It's a good question Ellie. I think lots of people start reading The Shock of the Fall expecting it to be about mental illness, but I'm not so sure it is about that. I think it's about a family coming to terms with loss.

In any case I didn't want any plot summary on the back cover and was happy when the publisher went with a simple quote from the story. I think the purpose of any “information” about a novel is to encourage the reader to the first page, but then it stands or falls on its content alone.

I love reading a book when I know nothing about it, and get to make my own mind up as to what it's about …

I can totally recommend 'The Big Blue Ballon' by Mick Inkpen for your daughter. Have bought it for so many children and never had a faill with it yet.

Loved your book Nathan. I'm a RMN too.

@musicmaiden

Just finished. Thought it was pretty great. Wonderful, believeable characters, an amazing portrayal of mental illness and grief. The timelines were a little confusing but it all came together beautifully in the end. And such a lot of memorable scenes: the endless tedium of the mental health unit, the different nurses and their quirks, the flat he lived in, the pain of the family, the partial memories, the memorial.

My only slight misgiving is him meeting Annabelle. Clearly as her Dad owned the caravan park it's not that unlikely she would be in the area - but for her to have been on the cliff/beach at the exact moment Matt was seemed a little contrived. But it's a small point and, actually, her appearance fitted well with the slightly hallucinatory nature of that portion of the book.

My question for Nathan is: How do you see Jacob's role in Matthew's story? He featured a lot in the first half and then 'disappeared'. Was his main purpose to show how even good friends can let you down when you have big problems?

Hi there,

Between you and me (and mumsnet) I feel the same about return of Annabelle. Her return was pretty much the only plot point that I planned from the beginning; everything else just happened organically, so to speak. So it is interesting to me that her return feels (to my mind) a bit novelistic or even contrived. A lesson for next time.

As for your question – Jacob is a good example of how I didn't plan most things in advance. I think usually in a novel a main character like Jacob wouldn't simply disappear from the page. But in life, main characters do disappear. Close friends and even family can fall away from us, never to return. I think Jacob couldn't deal with Matt's illness, especially with a sick mother of his own to try and support. I don't think Jacob deliberately lets Matt down. But these things happen, no?

@gailforce1

An engrossing portrayal of mental illness. I found the description of the in patient unit particularly resonating as I have been following a thread on Chat from a MNetter who is also in a similar unit and is also battling the tedium and the inedible food. The local news on Friday evening covered the lack of funds for MH services in the south and, in particular, services for young people. Perhaps this book should become recommended reading for anyone connected with MH services so that they can experience the patient's perspective! My question for Nathan - are you still working in MH services and can you see any signs of improvement in the way service users are helped?

Hi there,

I am still a registered nurse, though I don't work so often now as my life has become a bit more about writing. I sometimes combine the two. Here is an article I wrote for the Guardian about my views on Mental Health Services: www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jan/25/nathan-filer-mental-health-care-where-did-it-go-wrong

I think the main issue we face at the moment is a lack of funding, which is resulting in a worrying (deeply worrying!) amount of bed closures and staff shortages. Take a look at the article and see if you agree...

@Dunlurking

Hi Nathan. Thank you for writing this gorgeous book. It's one of those books you want to carry round, cuddling and stroking. I've worked in mental health and general practice and found your book therapeutic and optimistic. I have posted a mumsnet book review (here).

There is a quote from an interview with Vanessa Fox O'Loughlin on an Irish writing website here where you say "This work took its shape in the telling, it was written mostly with the delete key. I wrote a lot of rubbish, I got to see what belonged in the book by getting rid of the stuff that didn't. It's not an approach I would necessarily recommend."

My question is What shape was your novel in before starting your Bath Spa Creative Writing MA course, and what shape was it after? And, in view of the above quote, now you are a lecturer on that course, How do you advise your own students to approach writing a novel?

Hi there,

I'd written a few chapters before started the course – and, in fact, had to have done. That's what they read to decide if they'd accept me. But I got rid of most of that during the course, and what little I kept changed quite a lot.

I managed a whole first draft during my year of studies. But it still wasn't ready and required another year afterwards. Still, it got me moving with it.

I teach undergrads. They are young, and right at the start of their writing careers. I try not to be too prescriptive about how they should approach their novels because it is such an individual thing. We focus instead on certain universally aspects of storytelling. Characterization, setting, dialogue, voice, tone, that sort of thing. At that stage it's about experimenting and having fun. Perhaps that's how it should always be.

@Lesuffolkandnorfolk

I worked for years as a MHP and just wanted to affirm that yes, Nathan you get it (as you should being a MHP yourself).

I am helping the NSFTCrisis campaign to highlight the devastating effects of the Radical Redesign (AKA severe cuts) upon mental health services in Norfolk and Suffolk. Are you aware of this campaign and would you consider lending your voice to it ir offering a quote the campaign can use? I realise you probably have every MH stat and non stat organsation asking for your support but nothing ventured, nothing gained if I don't ask :)

I'm happy to help if I can. You're right that I do get lots and lots of requests but this is an issue that's important to me – and should be for everyone. Perhaps I can offer a quote or some such. Will you contact me through my website and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

@frogletsmum

Thank you Mumsnet for my copy! I can't join the webchat tonight, but my question for Nathan is: you write about grief, and loss, and mental health issues, and a complex character who goes through some terrible events, and yet you manage to leave the reader and Matt on an upbeat note at the end. How do you do this without the book seeming too schmaltzy (which it doesn't, btw). And do you have any advice for other writers tackling 'difficult' subjects? Thank you!

Thanks! It was important for me to leave with a hopeful ending. Matthew is surrounded by a family who love him. They're flawed, of course. But aren't we all? I think there was good reason to feel hopeful at the end of the novel – and besides, I get to decide what happens. That's the advantage of being the author. I couldn't realistically cure Matthew, and I couldn't bring his brother back – but I could introduce a bit of hope.

Schmaltzy was certainly to be avoided. I think this wasn't so much of a problem because Matthew is schmaltzy. He's a pretty stoical young man and he doesn't feel sorry for himself. He's not overly sentimental, and so in telling the story from his POV I was (hopefully) able to avoid being sentimental too.

@sherazade

Thanks mumsnet for my free copy of this wonderful book. I haven't finished reading yet, but I have to say I was instantly mesmerised by the narrative, and felt very much drawn into the child's viewpoint element. The transition in the narrative between Matt's childhood and adulthood is crafted subtly and masterfully, beautifully interwoven with glints of both hope and terror in Matt's perceptions of and experiences with family members around him .I thought I was indifferent to the characters until I read the letter from Simon to Matt that is actually a creation of Matt and I cried! I think that might be the sign of greatness in this book; little by little , and without you quite realising it, you develop an intrinsic familiarity and empathy with the characters .

I have a question for Nathan:

What was the main reason that Matt felt bitter towards his mum?
( I tried to figure this out whilst reading the book. Was it because he had always felt like a third party when Simon was alive? did he feel his mum blamed him for Simon's death? Did his mum remind him of Simon? Did she take out her sadness on Matt and did he therefore feel deprived of a normal childhood? Did her depression make him feel neglected? Or a combination of the above?)

Thanks for your kind words. I love how closely you've read the book. It's a nice feeling to have a reader ask a question then come up with a whole load of perceptive answers for me. I think you are right that it is a combination of all sorts of things – and also that certain unknowable tension that exists between so many mothers and sons (particularly sons of a certain age)..

In earlier drafts I pushed the oddness of their relationship even further, but it didn't feel necessary in the end. I think there was enough going on to raise lots of questions for the reader. Ultimately (perhaps disappointingly) my job is to leave you with these questions, rather than the answers.

Hi Nathan, I am really enjoying the book - love its ambition in showing mental illness from the inside rather than the outside. But I was very intrigued by your portrayal of Matthew's family, particularly his mother. Do you see mental illness as something which affects the sufferer's whole family or in which they can play an important part?

@Mignonette

I can totally recommend 'The Big Blue Ballon' by Mick Inkpen for your daughter. Have bought it for so many children and never had a faill with it yet.

Loved your book Nathan. I'm a RMN too.

Thank you :) In solidarity...

@sarahsusannah

Hi Nathan, I am really enjoying the book - love its ambition in showing mental illness from the inside rather than the outside. But I was very intrigued by your portrayal of Matthew's family, particularly his mother. Do you see mental illness as something which affects the sufferer's whole family or in which they can play an important part?

I certainly do. I think that family, friends, carers, are hugely important when we think about mental illness and are all too often overlooked.

Mostly, I wanted to write a book about a whole family coming to terms with loss. For me that really is at the heart of the novel.

@motherinferior

Nathan, I just wanted to say I bloody loved your book, I'm so glad you won and I hope you celebrated by dancing indecorously on tables. (And I tried to get to interview you for one of the psychiatric nursing journals but the editor selfishly nabbed the opportunity first because he loved your book too.)

There was certainly some dancing. I consider myself a dancer first and a writer second (got moves!) :)

Nathan thanks for answering my questions above. Thanks for the link to your Writer's and Artists 2015 article as well.
Another question, if you have time - Are you able to let us know what you are working on now?