Description

‘A beautifully written combination of personal reflection and broader thought . . . at once atmospheric and touching’
Louise Doughty, author of Apple Tree Yard

‘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.

Praise for Consumed:
‘Beguiling . . . this one stands out for its eccentricity and elegiac splendour’ Diana Evans, Guardian
‘Moving, engrossing, elegantly written’ Sunday Times
‘I have rarely read a memoir with such a combination of powerful, tender feelings and cool-headed analysis’ Mail on Sunday

Publisher Review

Arifa Akbar’s fascinating exploration of the night had me entranced from start to finish. It is wide-ranging, thoughtful, intelligent and so elegantly written, an absolute joy — Lucy Atkins, author of Windmill Hill In this intense psychic and physical exploration of the black hours, Arifa Akbar opens up about her insomnia – which is both destructive and creative – gets to know night-time workers and lightless places, tries to understand the mysteries of sleep and mines her own life. Truthful, lyrical and unforgettable — Yasmin Alibhai-Brown A deft, rich and intimate exploration of darkness in all its varied guises . . . bold, and beautifully written, Akbar captures the multiple facets of darkness through the lens of a woman alone — Annabel Abbs, author of Sleepless: Discovering the Power of the Night Self A beautifully written combination of personal reflection and broader thought, learned without being earnest, moving without being mawkish, at once atmospheric and touching, quite haunting in fact – and a worthy follow up to the brilliant Consumed — Louise Doughty, author of Apple Tree Yard Akbar’s writing has an oneiric quality that translates interiority into language – she writes about insomnia, night terrors, of strange female figures glimpsed on Waterloo Bridge, of the joyful abandon of dancing all night in a techno club in Berlin, all in crystalline prose . . . despite its attentiveness towards analysis and cultural criticism, Wolf Moon also has an emotional undercurrent of vulnerability and self-reckoning that makes it deeply touching and irrevocably humanistic * Something Curated * This imaginative and empathetic book will probably not guide you to better sleep, but it will be a fine companion for the wakeful hours — Alex Clark * Guardian * A rich kaleidoscope of a book in which a series of visions emerge from the shadows . . . those who people the night may not always be visible to those who sleep soundly but their stories are rich and complex and infinitely varied * Financial Times * Reveals the enchantment and fear that darkness holds for women . . . an energetic exploration — Kathleen Jamie * Observer * [A] lyrical examination of the world between dusk and dawn . . . Wolf Moon is a celebration of the exuberance of night-time and a moving portrait of the dangers of the dark — Emily Lawford * The Times * [A] fascinating voyage into the night and all those who inhabit it * i Paper * [A] deeply personal voyage into the nocturnal world . . . a worthy companion for the witching hours * London Standard *