Nathan Filer SHOCKS by Winning Costa Book of the Year

The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer, HarperCollinsPublishers, has won Costa Book of the Year.

The Shock of the Fall tells the story of Matthew and Simon, two brothers who are separated yet united by a tragic accident. Exploring themes of loss, grief and mental illness, this extraordinary novel transports the reader directly into the mind of Matthew and his slow descent into madness as he confronts his role in the boyhood death of his older brother ten years ago.

Nathan Filer, 32, is a writer and lecturer in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. He is a qualified mental health nurse and for many years worked for the mental health service in Bristol where he still lives.

The Shock of the Fall was subject to an eleven-way auction and bought by HarperCollins for a substantial six figure sum. It was selected for BBC Radio 2 Bookclub and a Specsavers National Book Award. It will be published in paperback in January 2014 by The Borough Press and will also be published in twelve other countries, including Israel (from where he was once deported for reasons of national security).

His stand-up poetry has been a regular fixture at festivals and spoken-word events across the UK, including Latitude, Port Eliot, and Wilderness. It has been broadcast on BBC 3 and BBC Radio 4, 7 and 5 Live.

He has also appeared at the Cheltenham Literature Festival and Hay Festival. His 2005 comedy short film Oedipus won the BBC Best New Filmmaker Award and numerous other prizes, including Berlin's Zebra Poetry Film Award and the Audience Choice Award at Toronto's World of Comedy Film Festival.

What the judges said:
"It's hard to believe this is a first novel - it's so good it will make you feel a better person."

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