A passage in which the author describes having to de-register one of her children from school by the age of six was particularly emotive and hard-hitting. It is here they can be truly themselves; the book felt just as much a love letter to the natural landscape as it did to her daughters. It is clear from her writing that Giles is a very anxious and often deeply unhappy person, and whether it was her intention or not, this element of her character held centre stage throughout the narrative. How important it was to find that familiar glow, sometimes in amongst deep cloud, sometimes a bright summer night sky.

empathy for the author's struggles, understanding as a fellow mother of four , a shared love of wild places; her descriptions are utterly magical.The challenges of bringing up a young family in isolated Northumberland are laid bare with brutal and heart-rending honesty.

However, that being said, considering this is Giles' first book, Twelve Moons is a debut masterpiece. A newly single mom and her 4 daughters (including one with specific needs) navigate their small town lifestyle with lots of nature hikes, singing, occasional quarantines, and ocean swimming.The chapters lead us through the year’s moons and their phases, which unites things cleverly - an unexpectedly grounding device. Beautifully describes the shame, vulnerability and then strength that comes from becoming a single parent.