Death is the most predictable thing that will happen to any of us and one of the few experiences we share with every other human being, yet we hardly give it a thought. Most of us behave as if pretending it didn't exist gives is a measure of control over it. The traditional supports that used to cradle us in times of need are no longer there.

Acquainted with the Night is the story of Allegra Taylor's year spent working in a hospice and training to become part of London Lighthouse, the support network for people with AIDS.

Accessible, anecdotal and warmly personal, this is an important book. For it shows us that death is not the enemy; that it is possible to 'be there' for someone who is dying or bereaved, to grieve well in the face of death and, when the time comes, to die well ourselves.