TWELVE MOONS follows a year spent caught between the wild sea and the changing moon of the wide Northumberland skies.

Caro Giles lives on the far edge of the country, with her tribe of daughters: The Mermaid, The Whirlwind, The Caulbearer and The Littlest One. She is at once alone and yet surrounded. Bound by circumstance, financial constraints, illness and the challenges of single motherhood, she has nowhere to go but the fierce landscape that surrounds her.

Over the course of the year, the moon becomes her fellow traveller through dark times, and companion through joyful ones – and even when the sky is wreathed in cloud, the moon is still felt in the pull of the tides.

TWELVE MOONS follows the lunar calendar, each chapter sharing a month and a moon, and shows the simmering power that lies in our often hidden daily lives. A dazzlingly honest memoir that while never turning away from the awkward truths of life, also shows how love will flourish if we can only find a space for ourselves.

Set against windswept beaches and ancient hills, this is a story steeped in nature and landscape. Since our earliest days, mankind has looked up at the moon and seen a story reflected back. Twelve Moons is one of those stories – a book about finding yourself, your voice and a sense that even in the dark of the night, we are never truly alone.

In this latest autobiography, Caro Giles explores the intricate dynamics of family relationships, especially as a single mother navigating the tumultuous waters of divorce and separation. Her personal journey, intertwined with the needs and disabilities of her children, is a testament to resilience and the enduring bond of family.

For fans of Maggie Smith (You Could Make This Place Beautiful), Safire Rose (The Power and Impact of Courageous Changemakers), Natalie Goldberg (Let the Whole Thundering World Come Home), Suleika Jaouad (Between Two Kingdoms), and Katherine May (Enchantment).

HarperCollins 2023

Twelve Moons: A year under a shared sky

Twelve Moons: A year under a shared sky