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.
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 *