New Books Network: Aamir Hasan on Under the Full and Crescent Moon (Dundurn, 2025)

Host: Holly Gattery
Guest: Amir Hasan
Release Date: October 25, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Holly Gattery interviews author Amir Hasan about his debut novel, Under the Full and Crescent Moon. The conversation dives into the book’s depiction of a medieval Islamic matriarchy, explores themes of piousness, female agency, cultural subversion, and the process of writing authentically across gender. Hasan’s novel, set in the 8th-9th century CE, follows Khadijah, an introverted girl who steps into the political and religious heart of her city. Hasan and Gattery discuss the origins of the book, its thematic ambitions, character development, moments of subversion, and the craft of writing women from a male perspective.

Main Discussion Points and Insights

The Genesis and Purpose of the Novel

• Personal Inspirations (04:26)
  • Hasan details how growing up surrounded by strong, accomplished women in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and later Canada shaped his cultural outlook.
  • “My mother, my sister, my aunts, my cousins are all varying degrees of pious. But their piety and how involved they are in Islam has almost no correlation to how successful they are and how accomplished they are. … But I'm also very aware that that isn't something that is seen by Western society in a lot of situations.” – Amir Hasan (04:26)
• Hasan seeks to counter Western stereotypes about Muslim women, showing complexity, agency, and variety within Islamic communities.

The Nuances of Piety and Character

• Dimension and Warmth in Religious Life (07:40)

  • Hasan rejects one-dimensional portrayals of piety; in his world, faith is lived in vibrant, diverse ways.
  • “My conception of that time is that everybody was pious and it was just a background fact of life... They all have different ideas... I really tried to put that into the novel, where even Khadijah and her father have fairly significant disagreements.” – Amir Hasan (07:40)
  • Gattery emphasizes how the novel’s piousness feels lived-in and “Technicolor,” not staid or oppressive.

• Family and Community’s Interpretations of Islam (09:12)

  • Both Hasan and Gattery reflect on the deeply personal, variable nature of religious identity.
  • “How can we not expect, like, more than a billion people to have, like, a lot of differences?” – Amir Hasan (09:54)

Signature Scenes and Subversions

• The Circle of Mothers and Debates on Hijab (10:38)

  • A standout scene has Khadijah participate in a nuanced debate about covering hair—a central, sometimes divisive topic.
  • The ‘unexpected’ twist: In this society, the practice of hijab is new, and conservative elders resist it because it's unfamiliar, flipping contemporary expectations.
  • “I kind of structured [the debate]... in the opposite way that you would expect, because in this society, the conservative people are the ones who don't want to cover the hair... The older people wouldn't like it because they didn't do it when they were younger. So why are all these kids doing it now?” – Amir Hasan (12:57)

• Forming Character through Social Testing (27:56)

  • Hasan discusses Khadijah’s feelings of discomfort at the monthly political gathering of women—the Circle of Mothers. Her attire unintentionally sets her apart and reveals the personalities of those around her.
  • The Circle is a locus of real political power and female community, and its rituals provide opportunities for solidarity and exclusion.

• Quiet Lyrical Subversion (14:38, 15:27)

  • Gattery confesses she first assumed the book’s “imam” character was male, despite knowing the book’s premise.
  • Hasan confirms he wrote the opening scene to be gender-neutral until the final revelation, designed to jolt readers, even the most aware.
  • “I wrote the whole scene from a very gender neutral perspective until the last few paragraphs. And then I was like, yep, this is the setting that I wanted to introduce people to.” – Amir Hasan (15:27)

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Electric Prologue Reveal (17:46-22:56)

  • Hasan reads the novel’s prologue, culminating in the moment when Imam Fatima, the city’s revered religious leader, is revealed as a woman. The joyous, communal Eid scene subverts both reader and societal assumptions (18:07-22:56).

• On Character Arcs and Restraint (11:06, 12:16)

  • Khadijah’s personality—“a little bit of a jerk at times”—and her struggle to be diplomatic, even when she could easily “destroy” an opponent in argument, shows character nuance.
  • “She managed to, like, hold herself back from what she really wanted to do, which was, like, dunk on this person... She could have, like, ended the debate really, really harshly at that point.” – Amir Hasan (11:06)
  • Gattery: “She did what I think so many people in this world could benefit from doing, which is just acting in a way which reflects that you have thought about how the other person might feel. … understanding that lecturing someone will never get anyone to actually listen to you.” (12:16)

On Romance, Coming-of-Age, and Community

• Approach to Romance in the Novel (24:01)

  • While “not remotely the main plot point,” a romance subplot plays a role in Khadijah’s multi-faceted growth.
  • “For me, it's always been the important thing ... the story of a young woman growing up... And that meant coming into the community from being like, an introvert to still being an introvert. But one who was connected to their community... having romantic interests and struggling with that a little bit is a part of growing up.” – Amir Hasan (24:01-26:23)
  • Gattery jokes about parental expectations: “It’s a doctor, right? Like doctor, lawyer, engineer. Those are the only options that were permissible. I let my dad down, that's for sure.” (26:23-26:36)

• Supporting Female Characters and Community Dynamics (27:56)

  • Khadijah’s awkwardness at the Circle of Mothers is a vehicle to reveal the kindness—or meanness—of women around her. Hasan’s “secondary” female characters (Saada, Aisha, Amal) are fully realized.
  • “Saada is a character who showed up because she needed to show up ... she's not necessary to the plot, but she's incredibly important to Khadija and to the story ... [her friends] have their own personalities... Amal really seriously doesn't care about any of this... while Aisha is the flashy one who knows all of the trends ...” – Amir Hasan (30:41)

Authentically Writing Women as a Man

• Crafting Authentic Female Protagonists (32:19)
  • Hasan’s approach: solicit constant feedback from women—wife, female friends, and editor Julia Kim.
  • “You just write them as human beings, right?... The feedback of my wife, the feedback of my female friends was what I solicited... and I said, I really need to know if this is something that is coming across as authentic. ... I constantly kept on getting the feedback that, no, no, it's fine. It's authentic.” – Amir Hasan (32:19)
  • Gattery and Hasan praise editor Julia Kim for her integrity and rigorous editorial work—cutting 40,000 words to strengthen the manuscript. (34:13-34:51)

Hasan’s Next Steps

• What’s Next for Amir Hasan (35:28)
  • Hasan is currently “gathering wool”—focusing on reading widely and letting new ideas percolate before starting his next project.
  • “I think I need to read a little bit before I marinate and let the ideas marinate before I get back to it.” – Amir Hasan (35:28)
  • Gattery: “Gathering Wool was reading and reading widely, reading voraciously, reading whatever took my interest, like absolutely anything...” (36:22)

Notable Quotes

• “I was very comfortable with the idea that, like, everybody's slightly different in their view... So how can we not expect, like, more than a billion people to have, like, a lot of differences?” — Amir Hasan (09:54)
• “If anyone is looking for, like, a racy read, this is, this isn’t it. This book is not it for you, but it will offer you something else.” — Holly Gattery (06:05)
• “The imam is not a man. Which is such a strange assumption for me to have because I knew what this book was about, but it still was stuck in my head.” — Holly Gattery (22:56)
• “I wrote the whole scene from a very gender neutral perspective until the last few paragraphs. And then I was like, yep, this is the setting that I wanted to introduce people to.” — Amir Hasan (15:27)
• “You just write them as human beings, right?” — Amir Hasan, quoting George R. R. Martin (32:19)

Key Timestamps for Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------|------------| | Author’s inspiration and cultural background | 04:26 | | On piousness and lived religion | 07:40 | | Upending hijab debates in fiction | 12:57 | | The imam’s gender reveal—electric prologue | 18:07-22:56| | On the delicate romance subplot | 24:01 | | Writing authentic female characters | 32:19 | | Publishing process and editorial process | 34:13 | | Hasan on what’s next (“gathering wool”) | 35:28 |

Episode Tone and Takeaways

The discussion is deeply thoughtful, generous, and warm, reflecting both Gattery and Hasan’s lived experience within Islamic communities and their shared desire for authentic, nuanced narratives about Muslim women. The tone is literary, often reflective, but punctuated by laughter, honesty about frustrations, and moments of sincere connection.

For listeners seeking vivid, subversive, and humanizing representations of Muslim women and matriarchal societies—especially through a “quiet,” “lyrical” historical novel—this episode (and Hasan’s book) offers fresh, compelling perspectives and practical insight into the writing process.

Further Reading:
Under the Full and Crescent Moon by Amir Hasan — available from Dundurn Books (2025)