Nathan Filer wins Costa Book of the Year with debut novel". BBC News. 28 January 2014 . Retrieved 15 April 2019.

The use of various fonts interspersed with simple drawings complement well the inconsistent thought process which Matt's thought process follows. Moreover, the subtle references to past events, without explaining full details, created momentum in a plot which could simply have been a procession of unrelated ideas. This book encompassed so many themes on death, grieving and mental health issues that it also feels like it lasted so much longer than it really did - though without dragging in the slightest. In 2014 the novel was awarded Specsavers Popular Fiction Book of the Year by Specsavers National Book Award [12] as well as the Writers' Guild of Great Britain award for Best First Novel. [13] Most falls do not result in serious injury. But there's always a risk that a fall could lead to broken bones, and it can cause the person to lose confidence, become withdrawn, and feel as if they have lost their independence. What should I do if I fall? McConnachie, James (1 December 2019). "The Sunday Times best thought books of the year 2019". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460 . Retrieved 5 December 2019. I thought I would only write a three line bah-humbug review, but the sheer skill with which every single word was chosen has made the crabbiness I felt linger in my mind for… hours.The novel was first published in the UK on 9 May 2013, by HarperCollins Publishers. It was originally published in the United States by St. Martin's Press under the title Where the Moon Isn't. [1] a b c "Award-winning author Nathan Filer to receive Honorary degree at Abertay". Abertay University. 25 November 2015 . Retrieved 30 November 2015. Odmah u startu čitaoci su svesni da on nije jednostavan, da je nešto drugačije u njemu, njegovom načinu razmišljanja i da je pritisnut mnogim bolima, tugom i krivicom. The Heartland (also published as This Book will Change Your Mind about Mental Health [27]) (Faber, 2019)

My favorite aspect of this book was probably the style of narration and the fact that the book was a metafiction in some ways. The protagonist and narrator Matthew is writing down his own story in various places and over a longer timespan, while his life is still progressing. We learn about conflicts in the past and in the present day. He often interrupts his own narration, reflecting on what he already mentioned and sometimes even foreshadowing on what's going to happen later. I will say however, that I was very happy that I knew about this style of narration before going into this book, because it might’ve confused me at first. The Telegraph praises the novel as bittersweet and wonderfully etched, noting that it is "an unsettling read but a perceptive and moving one". [9] Awards [ edit ] Matt's mental illness was not taken lightly in this book, and this is what made it feel so realistic in my opinion. It wasn't introduced as something that can be fixed overnight. It's a daily struggle for the patient and his family. Nathan Filer (25 January 2014). "Mental Health Care: where did it all go so wrong?". The Guardian . Retrieved 11 February 2015. Filer was born in Bristol in 1980. He attended the Ridings High School, a large secondary school located in the village of Winterbourne in South Gloucestershire. [5] In 2002 he trained as a psychiatric nurse gaining a first class degree in Mental Health Nursing from the University of the West of England [6] and later worked in mental health research at the University of Bristol. [7]

Beyond the Book

Referring to the world of the schizophrenic, since that’s what this novel is all about. But I wouldn’t call mentally ill young people and their lives in and out of institutions a hidden part of life , there are movies ( Broken, Silver Linings Playbook, etc etc) and books ( Henry’s Demons – recommended - and lots of others), it’s not terra incognita. Matt Holmes is a 19 year old schizophrenic struggling within the mental health system who decides to put his thoughts to paper when his Nana buys him an old typewriter and hopes his scribbling and notes will be therapeutic and bring him some freedom. He also describes drawing a family portrait for his mother’s 50th birthday, the ‘secret notes and partial sketches’ he makes by way of preparation, the careful decisions about composition: he includes Simon by putting him in a photograph on the table beside his mother; he draws himself ‘with a sketchbook on my knees, drawing a picture. And if you look carefully, you can make out the top of the picture – and it’s the one we’re in.’ Just in case the analogy isn’t clear, he explains: ‘I think that’s sort of what I’m doing now too. I am writing myself into my own story, and I am telling it from within.’ Well, yes and no.

He also worked as a performance poet contributing regularly to festivals and spoken-word events across the UK, including Glastonbury, Latitude, Shambala, Port Eliot and the Cheltenham Literature Festival. His poetry has been broadcast on television and radio, including BBC Radio 4's Bespoken Word and Wondermentalist Cabaret. [8] In 2005 Filer's comedy short film Oedipus won the BBC Best New Filmmaker Award and numerous international prizes. [9] It’s a devastating but eye-opening reading experience as Matthew relates in this unadulterated voice how a person like him copes with his kind of illness. We don’t read a lot of these books and this is why books like this deserve to be read and appreciated.

Book Summary

The novel made book world headlines last year when 11 publishers bid for it, a "dizzying and unexpected" experience, said Filer. The winner, with "a substantial six figure sum", was HarperCollins. Filer was a mental health nurse who has worked as a researcher in the academic unit of psychiatry at the University of Bristol, and on in-patient psychiatric wards. a b c "UWE awards Honorary Degree to Nathan Filer". University of the West of England. 23 July 2015 . Retrieved 12 August 2015.

requesting a home hazard assessment, where a healthcare professional visits your home to identify potential hazards and give advice I have no experience with schizophrenia so I can’t say whether Matt’s behaviour is realistic or not, or even when or how the illness manifests throughout the narrative, but I was never sure whether his actions were the result of personal trauma or mental illness. Falls are a common, but often overlooked, cause of injury. Around 1 in 3 adults over 65 and half of people over 80 will have at least one fall a year. Matt eventually reveals that, after a harmless prank gone wrong, Simon died by accidentally falling off of a short cliff. Matt was not responsible for his brother’s death, but feels so anyway. His sense of guilt is compounded by the fact that, earlier in the night, Simon was able to carry Matt home after scraping his knee. Matt was unable to reciprocate the heroic gesture when Simon plummeted to his death moments later. After Richard, Susan and Dr. Clement discuss the progress Matt has made at the ward, he is ultimately discharged. As he awaits his release, Matt states “this story doesn’t have an end. Not really. How can it when I’m still here, still living it?”Nathan Filer is a registered mental health nurse as well as a performance poet and his real-life experience is evident in this, his debut novel. The story is narrated by Matthew, a nineteen year old schizophrenic who recalls the sudden, tragic death of his older brother, Simon – a death which he believes he caused. Matt’s other creations aren’t produced so easily. It takes him weeks to build an atomic model ant farm in his flat, sketched out for him by Simon ‘moving my hand, scratching my pen across the sketchpads and the bedroom wall. His interstellar dust. His atoms.’ Simon had always wanted an ant farm, but his parents never let him have one. So Matt makes one for him. ‘With the right ingredients, like the right sort of atoms and everything,’ he explains, ‘you can build’ memories, ‘stop them being memories, and make them real again’: Nathan Filer (21 November 2014). "Rules of Engagement". The New York Times . Retrieved 11 February 2015.