I wasn't going to at first. Judging from the title I immediately thought that it would be some lovey-dovey chick lit, and although I do adore me some chick lit, I wasn't in the mood for it at the time. Something still encouraged me to pick it up however, and I was immediately drawn to it.
The story follows Matthew Homes (although that's not his real name, he is keen to tell us) and his struggle with schizophrenia triggered at a young age by the death of his disabled brother. He lives his life believing that his brother's death was his fault, and it haunts him so much that he begins seeing his brother, and messages from him in every day life.
We meet Matthew at a day centre in his local psychiatric ward, where he has been encouraged to express himself through creativity. He decides to use the computer to type out his story, I believe as a form of relief from the storm inside his head.
Filer was very ambitious with this as a debut novel. In my view, writing a story devoted to mental illness is incredibly brave - especially if you've never suffered from said illness yourself. Filer managed to weave one of the most beautiful stories that I have ever read however, and create a character with such depth and personality that you can truly believe that Matthew's story is one that is very important to Filer, and that needs to be told.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book - it's not the lengthiest of reads, I think I finished it in a couple of days as I was reading it around work and dance practice, and it's not the lightest of literary topics, however as I mentioned above it really is heartwarming in its own way, and in particular the final chapter will really resonate with those who have lost a loved one themselves.
It has won the Costa Book of the Year award for 2013, and I really do think it's very deserving of this accolade - I hope it encourages more authors brave the subject of mental illness in such a respectful manner in the future.
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