Twelve Moons

Across one year, Caro Giles stays on the far edge of the country, in Northumberland, where wild sea and wide skies surround her. She shares her home with her daughters, whom she calls The Mermaid, The Whirlwind, The Caulbearer and The Littlest One. Even among them she often feels alone. Money worries, illness and the demands of raising children on her own leave her with little choice but to turn to the rugged landscape outside her door.

The moon becomes her companion through this year, keeping her company in hard times and sharing in the happier ones. Even when clouds hide it, she feels its pull in the tides. The chapters follow the lunar calendar, each one covering a single month and its moon, and they show how much force can gather in ordinary, unnoticed days.

The memoir does not look away from life's uncomfortable truths. It also suggests that love can take root and grow once a person creates room for herself. Windswept beaches and ancient hills provide the setting, and nature and landscape run through every chapter.

People have long looked up at the moon and found their own stories reflected back, and this book joins that tradition. It is about finding yourself and your voice, and about the sense that even in the darkest night you are never truly alone.