Song For Night

Even with the knowledge that there are some sins too big for even God to forgive, every night my sky is still full of stars; a wonderful song for night. Trained as a human mine detector, a boy soldier in West Africa witnesses and takes part in unspeakable brutality. At 12 his vocal cords are cut to prevent him from screaming and giving away his platoon's presence, should he be blown up. Awaking after an explosion to find that he's lost his platoon, he traces his steps back through abandoned villages and rotting corpses - and through his own memories - in search of his comrades. The horror of past events is relived and gradually come to terms with as he finds some glimmers of hope and beauty in this nightmarish place. 'A daring blend of horror and beauty' The Observer 'Song for Night contains, at once, an extraordinary ferocity and a vulnerable beauty all its own.' New York Times 'Song for Night is a devastating portrait of a boy holding onto the shreds of his innocence during a war that deliberately, remorselessly works to yank it away.' Los Angeles Times 'If you want to get at the molten heart of contemporary fiction, Abani is the starting point.' Dave Eggers 'Abani...brings to mind Babel, Hemingway, McCarthy.' Esquire 'Chris Abani is a writer of mesmerizing powers, embracing warmth, and transcendent compassion.' Donna Seaman in BookLust 'The genius of Abani's work derives from his intellectual engagement with our world and his unflinching depictions, in the most mesmerizing language imaginable, of its most insidious horrors and its richest beauties. Song for Night demonstrates, yet again, why Abani ranks among our most incendiary and emotionally devastating and important writers.' Miami Herald

Chris Abani is a Nigerian novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter and playwright. His publications include The Secret History of Las Vegas, Song for Night, The Virgin of Flames and Graceland. He is Professor of English at Northwestern University, and the recipient of many prizes, including the PEN USA Freedom-to-Write Award, the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, a Lannan Literary Fellowship and the PEN Hemingway Prize.