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(originally published in hardcover in USA as Where the Moon Isn't)
by Nathan Filer
Book Reviewed by:What begins as the story of a lost boy turns into a story of a brave man yearning to understand what happened that night, in the years since, and to his very person.
While on vacation with their parents, Matthew Homes and his older brother snuck out in the middle of the night. Only Matthew came home safely. Ten years later, Matthew tells us, he has found a way to bring his brother back...
What begins as the story of a lost boy turns into a story of a brave man yearning to understand what happened that night, in the years since, and to his very person. Unafraid to look at the shadows of our hearts, Nathan Filer's rare and brilliant debut shows us the strength that is rooted in resilience and love.
Editor's Note Feb 10, 2014: St Martin's Press have just announced that Where The Moon Isn't will be republished under the UK title, The Shock and The Fall this week in digital format and later this fall in paperback. They said that the title change was necessary "because otherwise there's a lot of confusion" - The Shock and The Fall recently won the Costa Book of the Year award, which is UK based but has international renown.
the girl and her doll
I should say that I am not a nice person. Sometimes I try to be, but often I'm not. So when it was my turn to cover my eyes and count to a hundred -- I cheated.
I stood at the spot where you had to stand when it was your turn to count, which was beside the recycling bins, next to the shop selling disposable barbecues and spare tent pegs. And near to there is a small patch of overgrown grass, tucked away behind a water tap.
Except I don't remember standing there. Not really. You don't always remember the details like that, do you? You don't remember if you were beside the recycling bins, or further up the path near to the shower blocks, and whether actually the water tap is up there?
I can't now hear the manic cry of seagulls, or taste the salt in the air. I don't feel the heat of the afternoon sun making me sweat beneath a clean white dressing on my knee, or the itching of suncream in the cracks of my scabs. I can't make myself relive the vague sensation of having ...
Costa Book Awards
2013
The story is heartbreaking but poignant, filled with love and revelations. I was enthralled at the opportunity to delve into the mind of a person with mental illness and see the trajectory of his disorder...continued
Full Review
(454 words)
(Reviewed by First Impressions Reviewers).
Heidi W. Durrow, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell from the Sky
Original and affecting. Filer's ability to capture Matthew's voice shows a special talent. Joe Dunthorne, author of Submarine
A terrific debut: engaging, funny and inventive. Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty
"I have become an evangelist for Where the Moon Isn't. It won me heart and soul with its crazy, wild, fine voice, its bravura, its ambition, its harrowing corners, and the dense rich tiny core of love at its glowing, radiant center. Lisa Genova, New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice and Love Anthony
Vivid and haunting, I keep replaying this story in my mind, reliving it, long after having read the final page. Lydia Netzer, author of Shine Shine Shine
Where The Moon Isn't is a fresh smart book with a big daft heart. S.J. Watson, New York Times bestselling author of Before I Go to Sleep
Where the Moon Isn't is a stunning novel...The writing is so accomplished it's hard to believe it's a debut - it's clearly the work of a major new talent.In Where The Moon Isn't, the protagonist's brother, Simon Homes, has Down syndrome.
Down syndrome is the most common genetic abnormality being present in one of every 691 births in the United States. All humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes. Down's is caused when the 21st set has a partial or a whole extra copy, which means that there are three copies of the 21st chromosome (trisomy). Trisomies can occur with other pairs of chromosomes as well, giving rise to different disorders, but Down's is defined as the one affecting the 21st pair only. This error in cell division happens at conception and its causes are still unknown.
Down's manifests itself with a particular set of facial characteristics including flattened profile and ...
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