The Darker The Night, The Brighter The Stars: A Neuropsychologist's Odyssey Hardcover

Paul Broks

[A] beautifully written investigation of grief ... As an exploration of love and loss, as a portrait of a person and of the nature of personhood, this book is about as true as any I have read' James McConnachie, Sunday Times An audacious and beautiful account of grief and who we are. Memoir, neuroscience and myth interweave to create a book unlike any other When celebrated neuropsychologist Paul Broks' wife died of cancer, he found himself plunged into the world of the bereaved. As he experienced the pain, alienation and suffering that make us human, his clinician-self seemed to watch on with keen interest. He embarked upon a voyage of experience: a journey through grief, philosophy, consciousness, humanity and magical thinking - seen through the prism of a lifetime's work in neuroscience. Fusing an account of living with and recovering from loss with thought-provoking meditations on the nature of the mind and the self, The Darker the Night, the Brighter the Stars is an audacious and beautiful work by a writer of astonishing wisdom and compassion.

1846145368

9781846145360

English

Penguin Books Ltd

5/3/2018

320

Paul Broks is a clinical neuropsychologist-turned-writer. His first book, Into the Silent Land, a collection of case stories and short fictions, was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. He has also written for theatre, radio and film, as well as contributing columns for The Times and Prospect magazine.

Rich with disturbing images, eerie characters, wistful philosophical reflection ... in terms of sheer prose ability he is a modern master -- Andrew Marr * Telegraph * Reads as light as a souffle, yet has the resonant depth to haunt you for the rest of your days -- John McCrone review of 'Into the Silent Land' * Guardian * Full of wonders and unsettling new perspectives -- Review of 'Into the Silent Land' * Independent on Sunday * A beautifully written addition to brain literature ... will mesmerise anyone curious about the mass of goo inside our heads -- John O'Connell on 'Into the Silent Land' * Time Out Book of the Week * Truly remarkable prose . . . Throughout, Broks is like a naturalist taking you through the wilderness of the human mind, and he's a companionable guide. -- Eben Schwartz * The Journal of the American Medical Association * Broks weaves many threads - memoir, neuroscience, and metaphysics - into a rich fabric of reflection, speculation and deep feeling. This is a work that defies categorization, fusing non-fiction and imagination into a single instrument of piercing insight and emotional honesty -- Charles Yu * author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe * In this gorgeous kaleidoscope of a book, the neuroscientist Paul Broks takes us image by image, story by story, into an exploration of life with all its brilliant hues of grief and despair, joy and resilience, biology and society. There's science here, and curiosity, and humanity, all forming a remarkable portrait of who we are - and who we hope to be -- Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist * author of The Poisoner's Handbook * The Darker the Night, The Brighter the Stars is a work of extraordinary insight and imagination. Broks is a 21st century Dante of the human psyche, guiding us on a journey full of surprise, erudition, and wit -- David George Haskell * author of The Forest Unseen and The Songs of Trees * A rewarding mind to spend some time with -- David Aaronovitch * The Times * A wonderful, strange and genre-defying book -- Adam Zerman * Standpoint * [A] beautifully written investigation of grief ... As an exploration of love and loss, as a portrait of a person and of the nature of personhood, this book is about as true as any I have read -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times *