The personal involvement of the author in his patients' “journeys” is palpable, as is his zeal to publicise the often unbelievable range of behaviours that can arise from the hinterland between wake and sleep. Replete with transcripts and literary allusions, reminiscent of Oliver Sachs's early works, the book would be accessible to the interested lay reader although there is enough referenced detail to keep a sleep specialist happy. Descriptions by subjects and their bed partners cover the full gamut of extraordinary behaviours and experiences that can arise from the state of sleep. Published, it seems, using the author's own resources after 15 years' gestation, the core of the book consists of numerous case vignettes. Indeed, it is a little difficult to understand at whom the book is primarily aimed. Those looking for a comprehensive or conventional textbook on matters “going bump in the night” may be disappointed by the eclectic and extremely personal style of the author. This is a unique and extraordinary book written by a psychiatrist widely recognised as an international authority on parasomnias in general and random eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) in particular.
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