WINNER OF THE COSTA BOOK OF THE YEAR 2013 WINNER OF THE SPECSAVERS POPULAR FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2014 WINNER OF THE BETTY TRASK PRIZE 2014 'I'll tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce my brother. His name's Simon. I think you're going to like him. I really do. But in a couple of pages he'll be dead. And he was never the same after that.' There are books you can't stop reading, which keep you up all night. There are books which let us into the hidden parts of life and make them vividly real.

There are books which, because of the sheer skill with which every word is chosen, linger in your mind for days. The Shock of the Fall is all of these books. The Shock of the Fall is an extraordinary portrait of one man's descent into mental illness. It is a brave and groundbreaking novel from one of the most exciting new voices in fiction. Gold title * THE SHOCK OF THE FALL was acquired in a hotly-contested 11-way auction. There is already great momentum and huge noise for this book which we can capitalize on in the campaign into publication * Nathan Filer is being celebrated as one of the most impressive debut fiction writers in recent years and we are hoping to secure some major endorsements for this book * S J Watson calls THE SHOCK OF THE FALL 'a stunning novel' 'it's clearly the work of a major new talent' * A massive response from Amazon reviewers, receiving 4.6 out of 5 stars on average: 'I couldn't put the book down. Well written and an insightful read into the life of someone with a diagnosis of schizophrenia', 'I found it utterly engrossing, readable, funny, enlightening and very moving' and many, many more.

* Mental illness is a largely avoided and unknown subject. This book is set to initiate a wider conversation about society's attitude towards it and the silence around it * Nathan Filer is a registered mental health nurse with a unique and startling insight into the mental illness.