Where the Moon isn't - Book Review

Image via Goodreads

Where the Moon isn't (Originally titled The Shock of the Fall) by Nathan Filer

Overview from Goodreads:
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 Where the Moon Isn't shows us the strength that is rooted in resilience and love

This was a great book but it was not at all what I expected. I expected a story about a man who felt the loss and sadness of his brothers passing. A story about a man attempting to reach to the other side and connect with his brother again. It was that but it was also so much more. When I first started the book I was a little confused. Was this narrated by a child? An adult? The sentences were usually short quick thoughts. Matthew repeats himself over and over again. As you read you begin to understand that the story is told by Matthew when he is 19 years old. You find out that he is schizophrenic. He jumps around quite a bit throughout the book between the present, time as a child, and time spent in a psych ward. 

Throughout the book there is one common theme...Simon. Matthew truly blames himself for Simon's death and discovers a way to bring him back. All he has to do is stop taking his meds. Simon speaks to him when he lets his schizophrenia take over. Matthew struggles to understand why this is unacceptable to his parents and other who care for him. He gives you tiny bits of information throughout the book about Simon's death, never really telling the whole story until the end.  You can't help but feel sorry for Matthew. He's stuck replaying these sad events over and over again in his mind. He's constantly trying to reach Simon.

 I'm glad I picked this book up. I saw the cover and had to see what it was about. I'm a book cover lover.... =)