The Night is Not For You: A beguilingly dark coming of rage story, based on a jinn from Arabic folklore

Paperback Published on: 04/06/2026
Price: £12.99
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Synopsis

'A book I will return to time and time again' MEGAN BONTRAGER
'Perfectly captures the dark heart of girlhood' JEN JULIAN
'[A] wonderfully chilling and entirely immersive feminist horror story' Publishers Weekly

She's a cautionary tale told by mothers to their young children, 'Come back before it gets dark.'
She's a warning to lecherous young men, 'Don't wander the streets late at night.'

A man's body is found viciously murdered behind a neighbourhood's 24-hour corner store, sending shockwaves through the small, tightknit community. All anyone wants is to make sense of this brutal crime and move on with their lives.

But all seven-year-old Layla wants is a pet donkey. To her, a donkey is the epitome of freedom and being self-sufficient - to think for herself, go anywhere by herself and live an independent life.

The killings continue and rumours start to fly of supposed hoofprints and a woman with hair like black silk. As the ambiguous messages in lipstick and sweet smell of perfume at the crime scenes causes the men to suspect the women around them, Layla's world unravels. She grows into the type of woman she has always dreamed of becoming.

A woman with sharp instincts. A woman who cannot be tamed.

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
  • ISBN: 9781035411689
  • Number of pages: 304
  • Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 32 mm
  • Weight: 220g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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The Night is Not For You
Chilling, lyrically haunting, and beautifully mastered.
This is a violent coming of age/coming of rage, feminist horror debut steeped in Middle Eastern folklore, Arabic myths of Jinn. It gave me M Night Shyamala... READ MORE
Sammis Bookshelf
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
The Night is Not For You
Interesting
It is hard to review this book. I did go into it expecting more horror and in depth delving into the folklore of Umm Al-Duwais, a fascinating monster that ... READ MORE
K. Bickmore