Arifa Akbar for Wolf Moon: A Woman's Journey into the Night

'Had me entranced from start to finish . . . an absolute joy' - Lucy Atkins, author of Windmill Hill

'A deft, rich and intimate exploration of darkness in all its varied guises' - Annabel Abbs, author of Sleepless

'Truthful, lyrical and unforgettable' - Yasmin Alibhai-Brown

The night is a time of darkness and nightmares, fear and vulnerability, especially for women. And, yet, it is another world, full of beauty and possibility, too.

After the sun goes down, insomnia and sleep paralysis do threaten. But some have always walked the nocturnal landscapes, with more or less confidence. Others have worked, night shifts and hidden night work: nurses, security guards, sex workers. And some have found solace in the darkness, from queer rave culture to religious pre-dawn traditions.

From dusk through to day, Arifa Akbar elegantly explores how the night shapes our bodies, minds and cultures. A personal and artistic journey from fear and into hope, Wolf Moon embraces the dark before bringing us, once more, into the light.

Arifa Akbar is chief theatre critic for the Guardian. She has previously been literary editor at the Independent, as well as a news reporter and arts correspondent. She has served as a trustee on the boards of the Orwell Foundation and English PEN. She is currently a fellow of the London Centre for the Humanities. Her first book, Consumed: In Search of my Sister, was shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards, PEN Ackerley Prize and Jhalak Prize, and it was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize. Wolf Moon is her second book.