Nathan Filer has won the Costa Book of the Year with
The Shock of the Fall, his debut novel about loss, guilt and mental illness.
The book
follows the experience of Matthew Holmes, a 19-year-old who is haunted after
witnessing his brother's death at a holiday park in Dorset.
Chairman of the
judges author Rose Tremain said it was "astonishingly sure-footed"
for a first novel.
"It is not
just about schizophrenia - it is about grief," she said.
Filer, a former
mental health nurse, looked shocked as he picked up his £30,000 prize at a
ceremony in central London.
He said he
hadn't prepared a speech as he had checked the betting odds earlier. He thanked
the judges and his wife Emily, whom he married last week.
Filer beat best-selling
novelist Kate Atkinson, whose Life After Life - a tale of perpetual
resurrection - was the bookmakers' favourite to win the overall prize.
Also in the
running were Lucy Hughes-Hallett for The Pike, an account of the life of
Italian poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, and poet Michael Symmons Roberts for his sixth
collection Drysalter.
The shortlist
was completed by Chris Riddell, for his children's book Goth Girl And The Ghost
Of A Mouse.
Tremain said
there had been "no blood" during the final judging process but added
that the decision was "not quite unanimous".
"This book
stood out in a very good list. The voice in which the author has chosen to tell
his story is perfectly aligned with the subject matter and very well sustained
to the end.
"The book
is exceptionally moving without being sentimental - we're very much hoping
there will be more from this writer."
She added:
"To have taken such a marvellously articulated thing from his professional
life and to have brought it to life in the way that he has was a fantastic
achievement."
The Shock of
the Fall was snapped up by HarperCollins for a "substantial"
six-figure sum.
Jo Brand -
another former mental health nurse - has called the story, in which Matthew is
"managed" by his local community health team, "one of the best
books about mental illness".
The Shock of
the Fall is the fifth first novel to take the overall prize. Kate Atkinson won
for her debut novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, in 1995.
The Tenderness
of Wolves by Stef Penney was the last first novel to win the overall award in
2006.
Since the
introduction of the Book of the Year award in 1985, it has been won eleven
times by a novel, five times by a first novel, five times by a biography, five
times by a collection of poetry and once by a children's book.
Tremain chaired
a final judging panel that included actress Natascha McElhone, Texas singer
songwriter Sharleen Spiteri, presenter Richard Osman, columnist and
scriptwriter Emma Kennedy, writer John Burnside, and authors Anne de Courcy,
Matt Cain and Gerard Woodward.
The Costa Book
Awards, formerly known as the Whitbread, is open to authors resident in the UK and
Ireland. All five shortlisted authors receive £5,000 with the overall winner
getting a further £30,000.
Last year's top
prize went to Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel. It was the first book to be
named as Costa book of the year and win the Man Booker Prize in the same year.
Tuesday's
ceremony also saw the announcement of the winner of the Costa Short Story
Award. Writer and poet Angela Readman, from Newcastle, won the public vote to
win £3,500 for her story, The Keeper of the Jackalopes.
NATHAN FILER
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 11-way
auction and bought by HarperCollins for a substantial six figure sum.
It was selected for BBC Radio 2's Bookclub and a
Specsavers National Book Award.
Filer's 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.
