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Half His Age
Not yet published
Expected 20 Jan 26Win a free print copy of this book!
27 days and 02:21:30
50 copies available
U.S. only
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of I’m Glad My Mom Died comes a sad, funny, thrilling novel about sex, consumerism, class, desire, loneliness, the internet, rage, intimacy, power, and the (oftentimes misguided) lengths we’ll go to in order to get what we want.
Waldo is ravenous. Horny. Blunt. Naive. Wise. Impulsive. Lonely. Angry. Forceful. Hurting. Perceptive. Endlessly wanting. And the thing she wants most of all: Mr. Korgy, her creative writing teacher with the wife and the kid and the mortgage and the bills, with the dead dreams and the atrophied looks and the growing paunch. She doesn’t know why she wants him. Is it his passion? His life experience? The fact that he knows books and films and things that she doesn’t? Or is it purer than that, rooted in their unlikely connection, their kindred spirits, the similar filter with which they each take in the world around them? Or, perhaps, it’s just enough that he sees her when no one else does.
Startlingly perceptive, mordantly funny, and keenly poignant, Half His Age is a rich character study of a yearning seventeen-year-old who disregards all obstacles—or attempts to overcome them—in her effort to be seen, to be desired, to be loved.
Waldo is ravenous. Horny. Blunt. Naive. Wise. Impulsive. Lonely. Angry. Forceful. Hurting. Perceptive. Endlessly wanting. And the thing she wants most of all: Mr. Korgy, her creative writing teacher with the wife and the kid and the mortgage and the bills, with the dead dreams and the atrophied looks and the growing paunch. She doesn’t know why she wants him. Is it his passion? His life experience? The fact that he knows books and films and things that she doesn’t? Or is it purer than that, rooted in their unlikely connection, their kindred spirits, the similar filter with which they each take in the world around them? Or, perhaps, it’s just enough that he sees her when no one else does.
Startlingly perceptive, mordantly funny, and keenly poignant, Half His Age is a rich character study of a yearning seventeen-year-old who disregards all obstacles—or attempts to overcome them—in her effort to be seen, to be desired, to be loved.
288 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication January 20, 2026
60087 people want to read
About the author
Jennette McCurdy
3 books9,205 followersJennette McCurdy is the author of I’m Glad My Mom Died, winner of the 2023 American Library Association Alex Award and the 2022 Goodreads Choice Award for Memoir & Autobiography. The book is a #1 New York Times bestseller and has spent more than eighty weeks on the list. It has been published in more than thirty countries and has sold more than three million copies. McCurdy is creating, writing, executive producing, directing, and showrunning an Apple TV+ series loosely inspired by I’m Glad My Mom Died, starring Jennifer Aniston. McCurdy’s debut novel, Half His Age, will publish January 2026.
source: Amazon
source: Amazon
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
Want to read
August 29, 2025JENNETTE MCCURDY JUST TAKE MY MONEY.
Want to read
August 28, 2025Sensing another Jennette McCurdy slay on the horizon
Read
December 21, 2025post read: this was definitely a formidable read. the writing and characterization was intentional and crystal clear. the circumstances of the novel are harrowing to say the least. it's unabashedly honest to the point where it is sometimes grotesque but hey isn't that how things truly are? as someone who is gen z, i was throughly impressed by how mccurdy captured the unique hell that is growing up with everything a touch away thanks to phones and the mass internet. this has a lot to say about a lot of things that will definitely leave you staring at a wall and questioning what just happened. waldo as a main character is endlessly interesting and really challenges everything you make think about this type of story. she is worldly in a way she shouldn't have to be but also at times so naïve you can't help but want to protect her. at the end of the day this story is all about her. mr korgy is obviously a large part but he is so loserish and cringe worthy that he's not worth noting for me personally. i would throttle him given the chance, with no hesitation. not much i can express properly but this will definitely be a catalyst for lots of discussion and i am going to be thinking about this one for a while. my biggest thoughts are that capitalism is a disease and a weapon of mass torture and that young women are our strongest soldiers...
pre read: the second i get to read this it's OVER (positively)
pre read: the second i get to read this it's OVER (positively)
September 2, 2025
RATED IT 5 STARS IN AUG 2025 before reading because some idiot rated it one star.
JM has survived grooming and got her life back and is now giving a FEMININE voice to the Lolita scenario.
Whoever says this 'will' glorify the abuse without knowing anything about the book past that 200-word blurb, should go take a cold shower and a class in literary theory. My immediate recs is Eco's work on the Literary Pact. Some people have yet to learn from Flaubert's trial...
JM has survived grooming and got her life back and is now giving a FEMININE voice to the Lolita scenario.
Whoever says this 'will' glorify the abuse without knowing anything about the book past that 200-word blurb, should go take a cold shower and a class in literary theory. My immediate recs is Eco's work on the Literary Pact. Some people have yet to learn from Flaubert's trial...
December 21, 2025
Wow wow wow wow wow. The endless gaping wound of teenage girlhood and the sharpness and bite of the voice and observations
Want to read
August 28, 2025i’m seated. the bookshop employees are scared and asking me to leave because “it’s not 2026 yet’ but i’m simply too seated.
Want to read
August 29, 2025Glad she does what she always wanted to do- writes books.
December 10, 2025
“I‘ve observed Mom long enough to know that nothing scares off a man like what a woman wants from him.”
Half His Age is vulgar. It’s bold, piercing, poignant. McCurdy has created something uncomfortably evocative. I ended up unable to sleep ‘til 3am because what I was reading made me so angry and uncomfortable. She really does not let us doubt for a moment what’s happening to Waldo, and yet she manages to balance that with some really careful nuance and characterisation that reveals so much if you take the time to notice it. The abuse is the story, yes, but it’s also a tale of power, neglect, how dangerous loneliness can be, over-consumption, mothers and daughters, internalised misogyny, friendship — and she handles it all.
It’s so refreshing to have one of these books where the girl isn’t a perfect victim: Waldo’s unlikeable; she’s self-centred in a way you’d call narcissistic if she were an adult. She judges everyone around her; she over-consumes; she’s sexually aggressive; she actively pursues this balding married man, her teacher, from day one. She thinks she understands everyone and everything; micro-analysing the way a woman smiles at her husband over dinner, the looks of pity in her best friend’s eyes. She projects what she wants to see, creating fictions of the people she interacts with, convinced she understands their motivations better than they do themselves. She invents a fantasy where his wife is a burden, a bore, a villain. Him, the poor, emasculated, helpless, miserable man who needs saving from his terrible wife/life.
Yet she doubts herself implicitly; buys makeup and clothes in excess to feel something, wants to shape herself into everything she thinks others want her to be. She is ashamed of her upbringing, she self-deprecates by calling herself white trash before others can make the comment themselves. She’s a walking contradiction in clothes she hates and makeup that doesn’t match her face — exactly as a 17 year old girl would be! I almost hated her, yet wanted so badly to give her a hug and give her the advice and care she clearly never received from her Mother.
I really appreciate how this book doesn’t shy away from parental blame — although, a few more sentences condemning the deadbeat Father wouldn’t go amiss. Other books I’ve read with similar themes do show how young girls with dysfunctional family relationships are more likely to be preyed upon, precisely because their family won’t notice what’s happening to them. This one takes it a little further; making so many direct parallels between inappropriate behaviour from her Mother and Mr Korgy, and how Waldo has to shape herself to satisfy them both in frighteningly similar ways.
She had to grow up too fast and never really got to be a child. Yet, every assertion of her maturity only serves to remind us how young she is. McCurdy expertly captures that dichotomy between how old and mature you feel at 17, and how young and naive you truly are. This book does not let us forget for a second that she is still a child (and quite clearly still looks like a child); whether that’s when her Mother doesn’t notice she hasn’t been home for weeks, or when her hand can’t fit around his [redacted].
He taunts and manipulates, he exerts his power and experience over her. She thinks she’s going crazy when she’s not completely happy with their arrangement, when she has to baby him and reassure him, beg him to be with her. His abuse is textbook, as is her Mother’s, and as is how she handles it. And yet reading it feels fresh and sharp. It makes your skin crawl; you almost want to stop reading but can’t look away. It perfectly captures that pretence of reluctance: the way the man in power will manipulate the situation until the underage girl is begging him to give her a chance, promising she won’t tell anyone. I cheered when she finally starts to put things together and questions his words, only then does she truly start to become her own person.
I don’t necessarily think this is a perfect book, but with the way I kept wanting to scream at the characters and throw it at the wall it feels wrong not to give it a 5. This could obviously be quite triggering for some, but if you can handle the subject matter I absolutely recommend it.
Half His Age is vulgar. It’s bold, piercing, poignant. McCurdy has created something uncomfortably evocative. I ended up unable to sleep ‘til 3am because what I was reading made me so angry and uncomfortable. She really does not let us doubt for a moment what’s happening to Waldo, and yet she manages to balance that with some really careful nuance and characterisation that reveals so much if you take the time to notice it. The abuse is the story, yes, but it’s also a tale of power, neglect, how dangerous loneliness can be, over-consumption, mothers and daughters, internalised misogyny, friendship — and she handles it all.
It’s so refreshing to have one of these books where the girl isn’t a perfect victim: Waldo’s unlikeable; she’s self-centred in a way you’d call narcissistic if she were an adult. She judges everyone around her; she over-consumes; she’s sexually aggressive; she actively pursues this balding married man, her teacher, from day one. She thinks she understands everyone and everything; micro-analysing the way a woman smiles at her husband over dinner, the looks of pity in her best friend’s eyes. She projects what she wants to see, creating fictions of the people she interacts with, convinced she understands their motivations better than they do themselves. She invents a fantasy where his wife is a burden, a bore, a villain. Him, the poor, emasculated, helpless, miserable man who needs saving from his terrible wife/life.
Yet she doubts herself implicitly; buys makeup and clothes in excess to feel something, wants to shape herself into everything she thinks others want her to be. She is ashamed of her upbringing, she self-deprecates by calling herself white trash before others can make the comment themselves. She’s a walking contradiction in clothes she hates and makeup that doesn’t match her face — exactly as a 17 year old girl would be! I almost hated her, yet wanted so badly to give her a hug and give her the advice and care she clearly never received from her Mother.
I really appreciate how this book doesn’t shy away from parental blame — although, a few more sentences condemning the deadbeat Father wouldn’t go amiss. Other books I’ve read with similar themes do show how young girls with dysfunctional family relationships are more likely to be preyed upon, precisely because their family won’t notice what’s happening to them. This one takes it a little further; making so many direct parallels between inappropriate behaviour from her Mother and Mr Korgy, and how Waldo has to shape herself to satisfy them both in frighteningly similar ways.
She had to grow up too fast and never really got to be a child. Yet, every assertion of her maturity only serves to remind us how young she is. McCurdy expertly captures that dichotomy between how old and mature you feel at 17, and how young and naive you truly are. This book does not let us forget for a second that she is still a child (and quite clearly still looks like a child); whether that’s when her Mother doesn’t notice she hasn’t been home for weeks, or when her hand can’t fit around his [redacted].
He taunts and manipulates, he exerts his power and experience over her. She thinks she’s going crazy when she’s not completely happy with their arrangement, when she has to baby him and reassure him, beg him to be with her. His abuse is textbook, as is her Mother’s, and as is how she handles it. And yet reading it feels fresh and sharp. It makes your skin crawl; you almost want to stop reading but can’t look away. It perfectly captures that pretence of reluctance: the way the man in power will manipulate the situation until the underage girl is begging him to give her a chance, promising she won’t tell anyone. I cheered when she finally starts to put things together and questions his words, only then does she truly start to become her own person.
I don’t necessarily think this is a perfect book, but with the way I kept wanting to scream at the characters and throw it at the wall it feels wrong not to give it a 5. This could obviously be quite triggering for some, but if you can handle the subject matter I absolutely recommend it.
Want to read
August 28, 2025the bookstore staff told me to leave, it’s not out until 2026. but i can’t. i am simply too ready for this book
Want to read
October 17, 2025people screaming crying throwing up over this book's premise because they think jennette mccurdy is writing a taboo age gap dark romance reminds me of when suzanne collins wrote the ballad of songbirds and snakes and people threw fits because they thought writing from president snow's point of view meant she was glamorizing him
December 3, 2025
This book was so gross. It was also honest in ways that is hard to put in words, and so much of it made me uncomfortable but I can’t pretend that I didn’t love feeling that way as I read. It has the overwhelming sensation of being 17/18: how you think you know everything, thinking you are better than who came before you but unknowingly (and sometimes knowingly) repeating their mistakes, dreaming for the future, but overall, the wanting. Wanting so much for yourself and not knowing how to get to it. And if you get it, then what? What do you want next?
While the writing was simple, it created such messy complex characters and didn’t shy away from addiction and poverty and the overall vibrancy of obsession; I found myself obsessed with it as I read it and devoured it so quickly. Do I think this is going to be the most incisive look at abusive relationships and power dynamics between class, age and gender? No. But for what it was, it was deeply compelling, unfailingly human and very much contained in its truth. I think it was a hell of a ride.
Waldo, I am so sorry sweetie, you deserved more than what you got. Men like Mr Korgy, I hope you never find peace. Jennette McCurdy I would like another
While the writing was simple, it created such messy complex characters and didn’t shy away from addiction and poverty and the overall vibrancy of obsession; I found myself obsessed with it as I read it and devoured it so quickly. Do I think this is going to be the most incisive look at abusive relationships and power dynamics between class, age and gender? No. But for what it was, it was deeply compelling, unfailingly human and very much contained in its truth. I think it was a hell of a ride.
Waldo, I am so sorry sweetie, you deserved more than what you got. Men like Mr Korgy, I hope you never find peace. Jennette McCurdy I would like another
November 20, 2025
thank you sm to the publishers for giving me an advanced copy of this book!💜
this was an absolute roller coaster to read, every turn went in an unpredictable direction (in the best way possible) and ultimately it was a reminder that men are just men (i will not elaborate)
gonna let it sit with me before writing a proper review but initial rating is 4 stars 🌟
*updated review*
Do I think this is going to be the most groundbreaking social analysis on power dynamics in relationships/predatory men grooming vulnerable teenagers? No, probably not. But I do think it had very valuable qualities of portraying layered and textured characters. Waldo’s character is definitely an attempt to steer away from a victim of grooming being a completely docile, naive young girl and show how victims can also be ravenous, yearning, headstrong characters as well as being vulnerable, susceptible and emotionally neglected.
There’s an element of self awareness that threads through Waldo’s character, (as much self awareness as a 17 year old can have) and I appreciate that as she grows, her self awareness shifts and changes, as it absolutely did for me when I was 18, 19, 20 and so on. I appreciate that Waldo’s character has enough emotional intelligence and awareness that she “thinks” she knows everything. “Thinks” she knows what she wants and can be happy with that. For me, that’s extremely relatable and I was also in situations as an unstable 17 year old where I thought I knew it all and that my intelligence made me indestructible.
I also enjoyed the dynamic of Waldo and her mother. I liked the underlying tension that Waldo acknowledges her mothers flaws, especially when it comes to men, and thinks that she can “beat” it, that she’s above it and she won’t be caught with the same fate. (Even though towards the end I was rooting for the mother so much)
I really did enjoy this novel and congrats to Jennette McCurdy on her first work of fiction hopefully she has a long writing career ahead of her! Sticking with my 4 star rating! 🌟
(P.S Mr Korgy you’re a big fat loser!)
(P.P.S Waldo you would love cardigan by Taylor Swift)
this was an absolute roller coaster to read, every turn went in an unpredictable direction (in the best way possible) and ultimately it was a reminder that men are just men (i will not elaborate)
gonna let it sit with me before writing a proper review but initial rating is 4 stars 🌟
*updated review*
Do I think this is going to be the most groundbreaking social analysis on power dynamics in relationships/predatory men grooming vulnerable teenagers? No, probably not. But I do think it had very valuable qualities of portraying layered and textured characters. Waldo’s character is definitely an attempt to steer away from a victim of grooming being a completely docile, naive young girl and show how victims can also be ravenous, yearning, headstrong characters as well as being vulnerable, susceptible and emotionally neglected.
There’s an element of self awareness that threads through Waldo’s character, (as much self awareness as a 17 year old can have) and I appreciate that as she grows, her self awareness shifts and changes, as it absolutely did for me when I was 18, 19, 20 and so on. I appreciate that Waldo’s character has enough emotional intelligence and awareness that she “thinks” she knows everything. “Thinks” she knows what she wants and can be happy with that. For me, that’s extremely relatable and I was also in situations as an unstable 17 year old where I thought I knew it all and that my intelligence made me indestructible.
I also enjoyed the dynamic of Waldo and her mother. I liked the underlying tension that Waldo acknowledges her mothers flaws, especially when it comes to men, and thinks that she can “beat” it, that she’s above it and she won’t be caught with the same fate. (Even though towards the end I was rooting for the mother so much)
I really did enjoy this novel and congrats to Jennette McCurdy on her first work of fiction hopefully she has a long writing career ahead of her! Sticking with my 4 star rating! 🌟
(P.S Mr Korgy you’re a big fat loser!)
(P.P.S Waldo you would love cardigan by Taylor Swift)
Want to read
September 5, 2025Jennette Mccurdy writing fiction? I need this now! After reading & loving, I’m Glad my Mom Died, I know this is going to be just as funny, raw, & real. And can people STOP being so weird & making assumptions before reading the book. Did y’all even read her memoir?
Want to read
August 28, 2025prepare to be sick of me
Want to read
August 30, 2025Why is everyone assuming this is romanticising when the author wrote I’m Glad My Mom Died???
Make it make sense
Make it make sense
December 19, 2025
4.5 rounded up! a compulsive and addictive novel that explores obsession, desire and power. i really had a great time reading this and i think there’s lots to take away from this book! i feel like it could easily have been longer and i could have kept reading it because the writing just flows so well. a really great read!
November 28, 2025
3.75⭐️
This is such a hard review to put into words. I think this is an impressive fiction debut but I expected nothing less from Jeanette tbh. It’s transgressive, morally dubious, and incredibly complex which is an excellent way to describe the main character alone.
Also loved the journey of her and her mum and the important role her mother’s behaviour plays in her own actions.
Only thing I didn’t like was the choice to heavy-handedly place the MC as a 17 year old today through mentions of doomscrolling, online shopping and tiktok. I just don’t like when books date themselves in that way.
This is such a hard review to put into words. I think this is an impressive fiction debut but I expected nothing less from Jeanette tbh. It’s transgressive, morally dubious, and incredibly complex which is an excellent way to describe the main character alone.
Also loved the journey of her and her mum and the important role her mother’s behaviour plays in her own actions.
Only thing I didn’t like was the choice to heavy-handedly place the MC as a 17 year old today through mentions of doomscrolling, online shopping and tiktok. I just don’t like when books date themselves in that way.
Want to read
August 29, 2025i am SO SEATED. this one is for me and steph specifically
Want to read
October 30, 2025Just bought tickets to her book tour!!! Ahhhhh!!!!!
Want to read
August 29, 2025I’M SO EXCITED! I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of this!
Want to read
September 1, 2025Her memoir was EVERYTHING…so I’m sat for this!!✨
September 5, 2025
Anything she writes I’ll read.
November 20, 2025
Waldo get behind me
Read
November 15, 2025I don't think I've ever read a book that stressed me out as much as this one.
December 22, 2025
I had mixed feelings about Half His Age. At times it felt as though the book leaned heavily on shock value alone for its impact, and that approach didn’t thrill me. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. Some sections were genuinely fascinating, while others were deeply uncomfortable and gross.
I listened to an advance audiobook provided by the publisher, and unfortunately the narration; read by McCurdy herself, was quite monotone. Given the intensity and emotional weight of the story, the delivery needed more range and feeling to fully support the material.
The novel follows Waldo, a sexually confused 17-year-old girl involved in an intense relationship with her teacher. It’s a premise that could have gone in many compelling directions, but the path McCurdy chose ultimately didn’t resonate with me. While I appreciate the ambition and willingness to tackle difficult subject matter, the execution left me conflicted.
That said, this is undeniably a conversation starting book. When it releases in January, it will have people talking and debating, and it’s certainly one that invites discussion…even if it didn’t work for me as much as I would’ve liked.
3.5 ⭐️
I listened to an advance audiobook provided by the publisher, and unfortunately the narration; read by McCurdy herself, was quite monotone. Given the intensity and emotional weight of the story, the delivery needed more range and feeling to fully support the material.
The novel follows Waldo, a sexually confused 17-year-old girl involved in an intense relationship with her teacher. It’s a premise that could have gone in many compelling directions, but the path McCurdy chose ultimately didn’t resonate with me. While I appreciate the ambition and willingness to tackle difficult subject matter, the execution left me conflicted.
That said, this is undeniably a conversation starting book. When it releases in January, it will have people talking and debating, and it’s certainly one that invites discussion…even if it didn’t work for me as much as I would’ve liked.
3.5 ⭐️
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
JENNETTE I WOULD GLADLY READ YOUR GROCERY LIST AND THEN THANK YOU FOR IT.
This was so addictive, I couldn't put it down (blaming the short chapters and Jennette's unique writing style), and it was everything it promised to be: funny, vulgar, complex, purposefully provocative and uncomfortable in the best way.
(more thoughts on this to come soon)
This was so addictive, I couldn't put it down (blaming the short chapters and Jennette's unique writing style), and it was everything it promised to be: funny, vulgar, complex, purposefully provocative and uncomfortable in the best way.
(more thoughts on this to come soon)
Want to read
August 29, 2025Sorry book club I’m mandating this will be our February read
on-my-radar
August 28, 2025Escribe lo que quieras, todo te lo voy a leer.
December 20, 2025
Half His Age is a thought provoking story that has you feeling uneasy, angry and validated. I was engrossed from start to finish and every single page had my belly churning and mind reeling, I couldn’t quite comprehend what I was reading and yet found myself relating to so many little aspects. Look, no two stories are the same and yet you will usually be able to find parts of yourself. By no means did I fully see myself in place of Waldo but I saw myself in her action and reactions.
It was loudly refreshing to see a story such as this told from a different perspective, that is, at no point does Waldo place the blame on her teacher for the relationship. She is very clear that she perused him, she pushed and pulled and made him love her; chose to love him. Yet we know the truth, it doesn’t matter what she says, we can see the clear picture from the outside that the situation is twisted and awful and broken.
Her imperfections are what make this book so brilliant, the reality of overconsumption is one that hit all too hard. Having a bad day? Checkout that online order. He didn’t call you back? Go buy all those new, overpriced skincare products - I’m sure that will make it all better. I personally found those scenes the hardest to read because they were so confronting, very much like looking in a mirror at my early 20s, even somewhat now.
Waldo thinks she knows exactly who she is but at the same time she has no clue, and no idea what she wants. At 17, you can feel like you understand the world so well and a minute later you realise you’re so lost. Waldo is the epitome of a girl who grew up too fast, and the world around her treats her both as adult and child simultaneously. A reality that so many young people face, which lends its hand to how Waldo and her teacher end up engaging in a sexual relationship that never should have happened.
The writing is punching, the chapters are short and the pacing is very quick. The ending had me asking for just a little more but I understand why it was done, I just wish I could have had a step more fallout but like life, things don’t always happen that way.
4/5 ⭐️
Release date: January 2026
Thankyou lovely team @4thestatebooks for providing me with a proof to review!!
It was loudly refreshing to see a story such as this told from a different perspective, that is, at no point does Waldo place the blame on her teacher for the relationship. She is very clear that she perused him, she pushed and pulled and made him love her; chose to love him. Yet we know the truth, it doesn’t matter what she says, we can see the clear picture from the outside that the situation is twisted and awful and broken.
Her imperfections are what make this book so brilliant, the reality of overconsumption is one that hit all too hard. Having a bad day? Checkout that online order. He didn’t call you back? Go buy all those new, overpriced skincare products - I’m sure that will make it all better. I personally found those scenes the hardest to read because they were so confronting, very much like looking in a mirror at my early 20s, even somewhat now.
Waldo thinks she knows exactly who she is but at the same time she has no clue, and no idea what she wants. At 17, you can feel like you understand the world so well and a minute later you realise you’re so lost. Waldo is the epitome of a girl who grew up too fast, and the world around her treats her both as adult and child simultaneously. A reality that so many young people face, which lends its hand to how Waldo and her teacher end up engaging in a sexual relationship that never should have happened.
The writing is punching, the chapters are short and the pacing is very quick. The ending had me asking for just a little more but I understand why it was done, I just wish I could have had a step more fallout but like life, things don’t always happen that way.
4/5 ⭐️
Release date: January 2026
Thankyou lovely team @4thestatebooks for providing me with a proof to review!!
December 15, 2025
Thanks for the ARC
With a title this provocative and a plot that screams “discourse about me!!!” Half His Age is a worthy second entry from Jennette McCurdy after “I’m glad my Mom died”. What it’s attempting to do is difficult to pull off, having to walk the line between glorifying abuse and making hamfisted intense trauma porn (its own kind of perversion).
Thankfully, I think Half His Age works really well. It makes the choice to have Waldo (17) be the driving force of the relationship initially, which I can imagine people taking issue with if they don’t read the rest of the novel. It actually ends up being an incredibly good choice for the story, showing that even when the adult is being actively pursued, they still hold all the power and have an immense capacity to damage the children they date.
It’s a thing I quite like in McCurdy’s writing that she’s not afraid to find the humour in trauma. Like in “I’m glad my mom died”, a lot of our worst moments are also kind of funny. Mr Korgy is such a loser that there are multiple scenes where you just have to laugh about how pathetic he really is. Life is kind of like that sometimes.
Worth a read but does seem purpose built to bait media literacy discussions
With a title this provocative and a plot that screams “discourse about me!!!” Half His Age is a worthy second entry from Jennette McCurdy after “I’m glad my Mom died”. What it’s attempting to do is difficult to pull off, having to walk the line between glorifying abuse and making hamfisted intense trauma porn (its own kind of perversion).
Thankfully, I think Half His Age works really well. It makes the choice to have Waldo (17) be the driving force of the relationship initially, which I can imagine people taking issue with if they don’t read the rest of the novel. It actually ends up being an incredibly good choice for the story, showing that even when the adult is being actively pursued, they still hold all the power and have an immense capacity to damage the children they date.
It’s a thing I quite like in McCurdy’s writing that she’s not afraid to find the humour in trauma. Like in “I’m glad my mom died”, a lot of our worst moments are also kind of funny. Mr Korgy is such a loser that there are multiple scenes where you just have to laugh about how pathetic he really is. Life is kind of like that sometimes.
Worth a read but does seem purpose built to bait media literacy discussions
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews