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When It Is Darkest
When It Is Darkest
Sep 21, 2024 1:17 PM

Author:Rory O’Connor

When It Is Darkest

AS FEATURED ON BBC RADIO 4

Winner of the 2021 BPS Popular Science Book Award

'Read this incredible book. I wept and I learnt' - Prof Tanya Byron

'This book comes from the heart' - Roman Kemp

'Compassionate, personal and thought-provoking' - Prof Steve Peters

When you are faced with the unthinkable, this is the book you can turn to.

Suicide is baffling and devastating in equal measures, and it can affect any one of us: one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds. Yet despite the scale of the devastation, for family members and friends, suicide is still poorly understood.

Drawing on decades of work in the field of suicide prevention and research, and having been bereaved by suicide twice, Professor O'Connor is here to help. This book will untangle the complex reasons behind suicide and dispel any unhelpful myths. For those trying to help someone vulnerable, it will provide indispensable advice on communication, stressing the importance of listening to fears and anxieties without judgment. And for those who are struggling to get through the tragedy of suicide, it will help you find strength in the darkest of places.

Reviews

Prof O'Connor gives us a rare and truly affecting gift ... If you want to truly get to the heart of 'the big S question', read this incredible book. I wept and I learnt.

—— Prof Tanya Byron

I was so impressed by the work that Rory does. If you want to really understand why people end their lives, please read this book. If you want to support a friend or someone in your family who is suicidal or who has lost a loved one to suicide, this is the book for you; it is full of helpful tips and brilliant advice. This book comes from the heart.

—— Roman Kemp

Rory is wise, unbelievably knowledgeable and an incredible force for good in such a complex area. He has changed my view so much on the way we should approach suicide and mental health healthcare, and he has also made me reconsider my own mental health and that of the people I love.

—— Dr Xand van Tulleken

An essential read. Honest and unflinching, but always thoughtful and compassionate, Rory O'Connor brings light to a subject that has for too long been in the shadows.

—— Dr Niall Boyce, Editor, Lancet Psychiatry

I read [it] in a single sitting. What makes it so compelling is its unique combination of research, clinical, and deeply personal perspectives on one of the great societal challenges of our time. Rory's enthusiasm to make things better and his utter dedication to suicide prevention shines through.

—— Nav Kapur, Professor of Psychiatry and Population Health, University of Manchester

In this heartfelt book, Rory sensitively helps us to understand the pain that drives suicide, as well as providing invaluable practical insights for those bereaved by suicide or supporting those who struggle to stay alive. Compassionate, personal and thought-provoking.

—— Prof Steve Peters, bestselling author of The Chimp Paradox

A great book, which explains, in plain English, the workings of the brain and how to keep it healthy.

—— Adrian Chiles

Packed with the most relevant information on how to maximise your brain health. A great way to make better informed choices about your body and brain. It serves as a perfect reminder of how vital and connected this complex organ really is.

—— How it Works

This is where storytelling meets brain health. A thoroughly enjoyable read by Dr. Goodwin, a founding member of our Global Council on Brain Health, with a gift for clever elucidations.

—— Sarah Lenz Lock, Executive Director of the Global Council on Brain Health

Essential tips to help keep your grey matter fighting fit.

—— Healthy For Men

One of the best accounts I have yet come across of the nature of biological science and discovery

—— Henry Marsh on The Beautiful Cure

Lucid and entertaining … Much as Siddhartha Mukherjee did in his book The Gene, Davis expertly weaves together human stories and scientific endeavour

—— The Times on The Beautiful Cure

A terrific book by a consummate storyteller and scientific expert

—— Guardian on The Beautiful Cure

Wow, what a debut! I was left wanting more - more of Ronke, Boo and Simi and more of Nikki's brilliant writing about food and friendship. Warm and fun, I loved watching the more sinister side to the story emerge. Fantastic!

—— SARAH PEARSE, author of THE SANATORIUM

A funny, tragic, piercing portrait of modern women and friendship written in glittering and discerning prose

—— EMMA STONEX, Author of THE LAMPLIGHTERS

WAHALA delivers! Nikki's style is warm and comforting on one page and razor-sharp on the next. There's a twist folks, and it's not one I saw coming.

—— LIZZY DENT, author of THE SUMMER JOB and THE SET-UP

Sometimes it's not enough to just read a novel, you actually want to climb inside it. I adored hanging out with Ronke, Boo and Simi and I miss them already.

—— CLARE POOLEY, author of THE AUTHENTICITY PROJECT

Bold, juicy and real! WAHALA is tense and powerful, it's friendship at its best and its worst, and it's THE book to read this year!

—— LAUREN NORTH, author of SAFE AT HOME

Sharp, precise, unapologetic, modern. In one word, Exquisite!

—— Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström, author of IN EVERY MIRROR SHE'S BLACK

Dazzling and bursting with life. WAHALA is as joyous, complex and all-encompassing as female friendship itself. I loved it.

—— TAMMY COHEN, author of THE WEDDING PARTY

LOVED Wahala. Funny and sharp - I completely fell in love with the characters. Definitely one to add to your list

—— LAURA MARSHALL, Author of FRIEND REQUEST

Dark, fresh, compelling - all about female friendship and with an outstanding cast of vibrant loveable (and not-so-loveable) characters

—— ELIZABETH KAY, Author of SEVEN LIES

Fast-paced and filled with witty dialogue, and the book explores the depth and complexity of friendships between women

—— INDEPENDENT: 10 BEST BOOKS BY BLACK AUTHORS

Wildly entertaining

—— THE BOOKSELLER

I LOVED this absolute cracker of a book about the cuckoo in the next and a toxic female friendship. Highly recommended

—— LIZ NUGENT, author of LYING IN WAIT and OUR LITTLE CRUELTIES

I loved hanging out with Ronke, Simi and Boo. A brilliant portrayal of how complicated friendships can sometimes be

—— NINA POTTELL

This story draws you in and spits you out, breathless. Echoes of Atwood's The Robber Bride but so its own thing. A treat.

—— KATE SAWYER, author of THE STRANDING

A heady mix of friendship, dark comedy and murder. WAHALA is razor-sharp

—— OK! MAGAZINE

May's nuanced exploration of race and gender makes this refreshing. This will leave readers intrigued to see what May does next

—— PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY

A terrific, witty debut

—— I-NEWS

WAHALA hooked me from page one and kept me enthralled till the (TWIST!) end. A riot of colour and noise, friendships, enemies, secrets, lies and soul food. Written with a lightness of touch. Insightful, clever, and honest. I will read anything and everything she writes

—— ERICKA WALLER, author of DOG DAYS

This gripping debut is a journey of friendship, revenge and finding your true self

—— STYLIST MAGAZINE

Nikki May builds a propulsive reading experience as she slowly reveals Isobel's manipulations while keeping the reasons behind them hidden. Compelling character studies of each of the women don't shy away from the jealousies and judgements that sometimes make the line between friend and enemy razor thin...A fascinating look at the dark side of female friendship

—— KIRKUS

A funny brilliant read

—— BELLA

This will satisfy hungry appetites and blow your thriller taste buds. Deliciously spicy

—— HEAT MAGAZINE, Read of the Week

Nikki May's sharp and funny debut novel is a delight on many levels. WAHALA bursts with life from start to finish

—— DAILY EXPRESS, 'Books of 2022'

May seamlessly weaves love, betrayal, self-reflection, and Nigerian food, clothing, and customs into this fast-paced debut...Fans of domestic suspense will revel in this tale of friendship, family, and forgiveness, set in the cultural milieu of Lagos

—— LIBRARY JOURNAL

Sharp and darkly witty

—— CULTURE FLY

A rapid and wildly hilarious page-turner

—— COUNTRY AND TOWN HOUSE

A hotly tipped debut for 2022

—— DAILY EXPRESS

WAHALA combines a frank and daring exploration of modern female friendship with a dark, punchy thriller

—— WOMAN AND HOME

Fabulously fun

—— PRIMA MAGAZINE

May's skill for weaving together entertaining personal problems with a wistfulness for Nigerian food, customs and culture is unparalleled. WAHALA is hard to put down - an energetic, entertaining interrogation of a fundamentally flawed friendship

—— I-NEWS

Refreshing and original. Exhilarating

—— SUNDAY TIMES, Best Popular Fiction of 2022

Contemporary female friendship goes glam in this lively debut novel with remarkable depth

—— WASHINGTON POST

I would definitely recommend this book to friends. I already have!

—— Recommended Read, BBC Radio 2 Book Club

Sharply observed ... sophisticated and culturally adept ... May is a masterful chronicler of Black upper-middle-class lie and ennui in Britain. WAHALA is both great fun and extremely smart in how it captures some of the central issues in modern city living: women's evolving roles in home and work, interracial relationships and multicultural identity, the current competition that runs through so many friendships and daily interactions and, most of all, how easily intimacy can morph into enmity

—— NPR.ORG

Witty-wity-edge. Its humour is pin sharp

—— THE SHIFT, Sam Baker's Summer Reading

A dazzling, rich and efferverscent read. It's relevant and full of life. The killer edge was unexpectedly shocking. Just fantastic in every way

—— NB MAGAZINE

A glorious read

—— STYLIST MAGAZINE, 'The Style List'

Spicy as Aunty K's moin moin, satisfying as a plate of Ronke's jollof rice

—— SAGA MAGAZINE

Pacy, fun and gripping ... May wanted to write "a brown Sex and the City, or a brown Big Little Lies" - we reckon WAHALA could be just as big

—— EVENING STANDARD, Faces of 2022

Like "Sex and the City" but set in London. And with mystery. And murder

—— COSMOPOLITAN

The upshot is a funny, slightly murdery story about three women and their wahala, or "trouble" - their boyfriends, their professional aspirations, and their weaves

—— GLAMOUR MAGAZINE

The novel's strength lies in May's attention to her main character's identities. May's breezy prose is well-suited to these moments of casual intimacy, unfolding over drinks, at the hairdresser's or at the kitchen table, where all the best gossip takes place

—— NEW YORK TIMES

Some of the smartest reading fun I've had all year

—— DAISY BUCHANAN
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