Know the Night: A Memoir of Survival in the Small Hours

An unforgettable memoir on the experience of isolation and the miraculous power of human connection.
As a baby, Gabriel s first words and affinity for sign language enthralled his adoring parents. When these words fell away, and his medical diagnoses multiplied, Maria Mutch committed herself entirely to her son s care. Then, for about two years, Gabe slept very little, drawing mother and son into a nocturnal existence of almost constant wakefulness.
In breathtaking prose, Maria shares the intensely personal challenges and revelations brought about by this period. As Gabe s sleeping hours dwindled, care took place within an isolated, often frightening world, in which Maria s desire for connection and meaning expanded. She became fascinated with stories of Antarctic exploration, and found a companion in Admiral Richard E. Byrd, an explorer who lived by himself in the polar darkness for months in 1934 and later wrote about his struggle for survival in a book called "Alone." Reimagining Byrd s story and interweaving it with her own, Maria illuminates a search for love, understanding and comfort against the terrors of the unknown that will resonate with anyone who has lain awake in the dark, or longed to protect a loved one. "Know the Night" is a powerful journey into the mysteries of nighttime and the human mind, and a testament to the extraordinary bond between mother and child."