At Night All Blood is Black

Alfa and Mademba are two of the many Senegalese soldiers fighting in the Great War. Together they climb dutifully out of their trenches to attack France’s German enemies whenever the whistle blows, until Mademba is wounded, and dies in a shell hole with his belly torn open.

Without his more-than-brother, Alfa is alone and lost amidst the savagery of the conflict. He devotes himself to the war, to violence and death, but soon begins to frighten even his own comrades in arms. How far will Alfa go to make amends to his dead friend?

At Night All Blood is Black is a hypnotic, heartbreaking rendering of a mind hurtling towards madness.

‘So incantatory and visceral I don’t think I’ll ever forget it’ – Ali Smith, Guardian Book of the Year

‘This slight book explodes with extraordinary force – readers will not forget it in a hurry’ – The Times, Historical Fiction Book of the Month & Year

‘An extraordinary novel, full of sadness, rage and beauty’ – Sarah Waters

Format: Paperback
Pages: 160
Imprint: PUSHKIN PRESS
Publication date: 06/05/2021