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. In This Soul-stirring Debut Memoir, Maria Mutch Explores The Miraculous Power That Care And Communication Have In The Face Of The Deep, Personal Isolation That Often Comes With Disability. A Chronicle Of The Witching Hours Between Midnight And Six A.m., This Meditative Book Takes Place During The Two-year Period In Which Mutch's Son Gabriel, Who Is Autistic And Also Has Down Syndrome, Rarely Slept Through The Night. In This Tapestry Composed Of Interwoven Memories, We See Both Gabriel's Difficult Childhood And Maria's Introduction To The World Of Multiple Disability Parenting. As A Counterpoint To Gabriel's Figurative Isolation Is The Story Of Admiral Richard Byrd, The Polar Explorer Who Journeyed Alone Into The Antarctic Wilderness In The 1930s. His Story Creates A Shared And Powerful Language For The Experience Of Feeling Alone. In These Three Characters--mother, Son, And Explorer--mutch Reveals Overlapping And Layered Themes Of Solitude That, Far From Driving Us Apart, Enlighten, Uplift, And Connect.--publisher Description. Maria Mutch. Includes Bibliographical References. Issued Also In Electronic Format. An unforgettable and moving, beautifully written memoir on isolation, human connection, and love that will appeal to readers of Annie Dillard and Joan Didion. This is a narrative meditation of an autistic boy who is up throughout the night because of his insomnia, mixed with a studying of Admiral Byrd's Antarctica trip. Through her journey with Gabriel's sleepless night and retelling Admiral Byrd's journal, Mutch makes clear not only the terrors of the night but its revelatory qualities. Print run 6,000