To tell you I have read a lot of books seems redundant. To admit that a lot have been forgotten, while few have lived with me through the ages shouldn’t be surprising. This book, Ailsa’s story, aptly names By the Light of the Crescent Moon, is one that will circulate through my every morsel for many years and after I read many more books.
The authors bravery is what first caught my attention. Her admission about the strained and challenging relationship with her parents struck me and made me crave more but there was more to her than her past. We, along with her, look forward to love, self-discovery, letting go and growing up and we do so outside of her home country of Canada and very much so out of our own comfort zone, no matter how you were raised.
Keppie takes us through her study of the Arabic, paths through Morocco and the strength it takes to don a hijab all while holding our hand through self-doubt, aerobatics and stumbles down cobble hill roads. The authors flexibility goes well beyond what we know of circus acts as she tumbles through isolation, loneliness and becoming a wife and mother in a country she worked so hard to navigate and understand. Seeming to master the art of immersion, we discover that love is not necessarily enough all of the time at the same moment understanding that self-love should always come first.
There is definitely more to Keppie than she was able to beautifully contain between the covers of this beautiful book and, thankfully, with her in Nova Scotia I have personally committed to reaching out and encouraging her to write at least another book. Feeling a friendship form within the pages, without even meeting her in person, I admire Keppie’s strength to leave love behind for a greater purpose despite all the struggles the decision surely alludes to.
I am eager to read the follow-up (please let there be a book that tells us how she shines and deals with her return to the past) and feel that you should definitely read this book soon!
Thanks for reading and happy book launch day to Ailsa Keppie. By the Light of the Crescent Moon is a must read!
Sarah Butland
fellow author of Nova Scotia