The Shock of the Fall

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.

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.

My opinion: I don't really know where to start with my review on this one. In a good way.

Matthew Homes is a 19 year old who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He narrates the story as we move with him between present day where he is trying to capture the events of his life on paper, and his past which is he is trying to make sense of and come to terms with.

At the start of the story, Matthew is an ordinary young boy with an older brother named Simon. Within a few pages, he becomes an only child when Simon is killed in an accident, an event which will shape the rest of Matthew's childhood and teenage years.

Although this book deals with a very tough subject, it is a very light and easy read. The narration style really helps with this as we are just getting to know Matthew and his life events unfold quite naturally. The writer deals with sensitive subjects extremely well and captures Matthew's descent into his state of poor mental health in an honest way.

I can understand why this book won the Costa award as it is a fresh way of dealing with the subject of mental health, and the author should be commended for bringing the issue to the fore. I would definitely recommend this book and hope it goes on to attain even more plaudits as it truly deserves them.

My rating: Five stars

Solo Pass

A dark yet often funny novel narrated by a man who, for the past two months, has been a patient at a New York City mental ward. Having suffered a breakdown—due to his shattered marriage and an irrational fear of fading away as a human—he now finds himself caught between two worlds, neither of which is a place of comfort or fulfillment: the world of the ward, where abnormality and an odd sort of freedom reign, and the outside world, where convention and restrictive behavior rule. Finally on his way to becoming reasonably “normal” again, he requests and is granted a “solo pass,” which allows him to leave the (locked) ward for several hours and visit the city, with the promise that he will return to the hospital by evening.

As he prepares for his excursion, we get a picture of the ward he will temporarily leave behind—the staff and the patients, notably Mandy Reid, a schizophrenic and nymphomaniac who has become his closest friend there. Solo Pass is an unsettling satire that depicts, with inverted logic, the difficulties of madness and normalcy.

My opinion: I requested this book from Netgalley as it seemed to be right up my street. And I was not disappointed.

We follow the main character as he embarks on a days release from the mental ward where he is currently staying following a breakdown. We get to meet a variety of characters on the ward, plan his journey with him and get out onto the mean streets of New York. More importantly, we get to feel his feelings, ride the emotional rollercoaster that he does and understand what caused the breakdown and irrational thoughts.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was sensitively handled without feeling as if it was walking on eggshells and gave a real insight into the irrational thoughts that often accompany a range of mental illnesses. Some parts of the book were really quite funny and others were heartbreakingly sad. The characters were all very human and parts of the storyline kept me guessing.

I will definitely seek out more from this author.

My rating: Four stars.

Original review at Reading in Progress

The Silver Linings Play Book

Pat Peoples has a theory that his life is actually a movie produced by God, and that his God-given mission in life is to become emotionally literate, whereupon God will ensure a happy ending - which, for Pat, means the return of his estranged wife Nikki, from whom he's currently having some 'apart time.' It might not come as any surprise to learn that Pat has spent several years in a mental health facility. When Pat leaves hospital and goes to live with his parents, however, everything seems changed: no one will talk to him about Nikki; his old friends now have families; his beloved football team keep losing; his new therapist seems to be recommending adultery as a form of therapy. And he's being haunted by Kenny G. There is a silver lining, however, in the form of tragically widowed, physically fit and clinically depressed Tiffany, who offers to act as a go-between for Pat and his wife, if Pat will just agree to perform in this year's Dance Away Depression competition...

My opinion: I'm just going to come straight out and say it. I loved this book. I bought it a while ago and only wish I had read it sooner!

We follow Pat following his conditional discharge from a mental hospital where he had been staying after a breakdown. When he goes back to live with his parents he seems shocked at the amount of changes there are in the world when he believes he has only been in hospital for a few months.

This story was really well written and really captured Pat's feelings and frustrations about the world and some of the people in it. He learns to live again, but not without a few more ups and downs to tackle first.

When I read this book I literally could not put it down and flew through it. It was tragic and horribly sad in parts and in others it was humorous and had a real feel good feel to it.

I would definitely recommend this book and loved the fact that on top of all of the other good things about it, it is a book about books! Definitely one for me.

My rating: Five stars!

Original review at Reading in Progress.