Half Lives

by Krystle Zara Appiah, To Be Announced (Narrator)

No one can hurt you like a sister

Growing up in 1970s Ghana, Evelyn and Maggie are two sides of the same coin. While reliable Evelyn is entrusted to support her struggling family, Maggie skips class to flirt with boys. Despite their differences, they’ve made a one day they will escape to America, and start a new life together.

Evelyn’s prospects transform when she marries Gus, a wealthy surgeon who already lives in New York, and quickly falls pregnant. Meanwhile, Maggie sees her prospects vanish when she realises she is also expecting, but without the crucial detail of a husband.

When a terrible accident causes Evelyn to lose her unborn child, the answer seems simple, and Evelyn takes her sister’s unwanted baby to the States to raise as her own. But such an act has untold consequences for both sisters, and when one of them changes their mind, an impossible decision awaits.

An emotional gut-punch of a novel, Half Lives is about the enduring power of love, and what it can withstand before it breaks.

Audible Audio

Expected publication June 4, 2026

Reviews

[SH]

I used to pray for times like this!!!!! Will be sat until June 🙏🏽😭

[Rayo Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for granting my request to read this e-ARC and provide my honest opinion.

Initially, when I got the book, I knew I was hesitating to start because I remembered what I went through emotionally when I read Rootless. The author brought that same energy into Half Lives. Right from the start, I was drawn in by the characters, by the way she pulled back their layers, the way the author tried to make us understand each character's individual choices and why they had to do what they did—my heart breaks. My heart breaks for what Evelyn had to go through. And when I say this is emotional, my eyes are literally watering as I’m typing this review.

To be honest, if you have read His Only Wife, Half Lives takes the plot line of His Only Wife and makes it into something beautiful that will stick with you.

In Half Lives, a young girl is being married off to a man who is in the US. They are strangers. They move from not knowing each other at all to getting married. Getting married to someone that she does not know, and all hell breaks loose when she goes to be with her husband in the US... And when I say my heart breaks so much for Evelyn—it doesn't mean that I'm trying to undermine Maggie's story or what she has been through emotionally. Evelyn just got the worst of it because this is somebody that left everything that she knew to come and be in this man's life that she doesn't know at all. How she suffered, how she had to get back on her feet with a child too... The author truly did an amazing thing with this book. Truly, truly amazing.

And Maggie's story—I understand why she felt the need to backtrack the way she did, because she and Evelyn were from the same parents, raised in the same home, but Evelyn has always been the golden child and she has always been put in the back seat, so to say. Not that her parents did not love her, but it just felt like Evelyn was the person the spotlight was on.

One thing I love about this book was the way the dynamics between sisterhood was represented—the light on domestic abuse, getting your life back in order. And to be honest, it's never too late to start again.

When Maggie tried to take Jonathan back, I was like, "Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to upend your life for a man that does not even love you? Why, why?" And I'm so glad that the author made Maggie come back to her senses. I'm so glad that the author showed the healing that Maggie went through. It's so wholesome.

And to be honest, I love that ending. The ending was beautiful. I also love the way Maggie's and Evelyn's parents' relationship was explored. Every character's life was explored so well, without feeling like there was something missing.

This book is good, if I do say so myself. And it's emotional. It's a story that just makes you stop and think. Yes, that's the phrase I will use.

I love Rootless. I love Sam and Efe's story, and I also love Maggie and Evelyn's story as well. Thank you so much for the ARC.

TW: Domestic violence, loss of a child, child abuse, Dementia, cheating

[Nana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked Rootless, so I was rooting for this story, but unfortunately it didn’t quite meet my expectations.

Half Lives follows the lives of two sisters, Evelyn and Maggie, in late 1960s to 1970s Ghana, whose lives are changed by a decision made out of financial and economic necessity.

When Evelyn drops out of school to help support her struggling family, a marriage proposal from a well-to-do family—whose son resides in the United States—seems like a way out of poverty. When she suffers a terrible tragedy, her sister steps in to offer her a lifeline, but at what cost?

Augustus (Gus), the man she marries, is not who he claims to be. His double life in the U.S., when Evelyn joins him, leads to domestic abuse. Stranded in a country and city where she knows no one, she has to rely on the kindness of strangers to survive.

At the same time, Maggie’s poor decisions lead to her giving her sister the chance at a life with Gus, but the trauma of what she has gone through cannot easily be swept under the rug.

I felt this was a strong plotline with the potential to be a masterpiece, but it didn’t quite come together for me. What stood out most was the setting. While the author is Ghanaian, parts of the depiction didn’t always feel fully grounded in the time period. For instance, references like malt and milk biscuits felt out of place—Bona biscuits were more common then. Similarly, while there was some rationing, it was largely for imported goods like milk and fizzy drinks, while staples like cassava and yam remained widely available.

I also found some of the character descriptions and language choices a bit jarring. Descriptions like blushing didn’t feel entirely fitting for the characters, and some of the Twi expressions didn’t quite land naturally in their context.

Overall, it felt like a story that could resonate more strongly with readers less familiar with the setting, but for me, the inconsistencies made it harder to stay immersed. I do think that when books are set in specific places and time periods, careful attention to detail really matters.

Ultimately, this one didn’t fully work for me.

Thanks to @harpercollins for the ARC. As always, this is an honest review.

[Jo Moone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Half Lives was a beautiful story of sisterhood, family and what a person will do for the one they love.

Told from both sisters' POVs, we as the audience are let into every single emotion both of these girls feel. The pressures, the pain, the grief, nothing is kept off the table or not explored, which makes for a good story.

I really felt for both sisters, especially when the impossible decision was made (both times). I do wish there had been more of a discussion between the sisters about the loss experienced and why it happened, as the cause and the effect it had on Evelyn for the rest of her life felt untouched.

My heart tore for both, especially when Maggie came to America, and the child in the centre of it all, who had his world cracked open. I had wished for a little bit more of the effects it had on him, but understood why it hadn't been as Maggie's focus was on creating a life for herself she thought she was owed.

The side characters that were introduced later with Evelyn felt like a breath of fresh air in her New York life, especially when she was confronted by the reality of her decision, and not the fairytale. I'm also glad her sister-in-law was on her side, but hadn't been surprised about the mother-in-law (thanks to the excellent way the author had showed us who the mother-in-law was).

I felt like I was in both locations with the sisters due to the way things were described, from the feel to the sounds and the smells. Which was lovely and immersive.

Overall, a really enjoyable story.

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ADORED Rootless and have eagerly awaited Krystle Zara Appiah's next novel, Half Lives did not disappoint.


Sisters Evelyn and Maggie are close, but very different. They both dream of moving from Ghana to the US, but whilst Evelyn works hard and has aspirations to finish her studies, Maggie is more interested in her best friend's brother and spends her time avoiding helping out at their mother's shoe shop. 

When an old customer turns up and wants to marry her son off to Evelyn, the sisters are excited. This will finally mean they have a chance to emigrate to the US. Evelyn is married to Gus, and Maggie sleeps with Moses, both sisters becoming pregnant at the same time. After a traumatic accident, Evelyn loses her baby. Maggie, keen to carry on her life without the responsibility and challenges of being a single mother, gives up her son, Jonathan, to Evelyn, who soon moves to New York. 

What follows is an exploration of how these two sisters' lives differ, their journeys once intertwined, now taking on a life of their own. Both sisters struggling with the realities of relationships and adulthood and without each other to lean on.

I knew this book would be wonderfully written but emotional to read, and that is definitely the case.

Topics such as Dementia, spousal and child abuse, pregnancy loss, abortion, and cheating are all discussed but this book is, at it's heart, about sisters and how our family ties can change and evolve throughout our lifetimes. 


Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the eARC.

[Gillian Farago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the prepublication digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Oh my gosh this is a sad one! Heartbreaking at every turn, the story of the two sisters who were so close but ceased to be is well written from each of their perspectives. Without giving anything away, the particular twist in the family dynamics is somewhat surprising (in a good way in terms of adding to the story).
The domestic abuse aspect is explored and described in such a way that I was scared for Evelyn and Jonathan, at times almost begging her to make a different decision. It’s written with an understanding of how DV can lead to the victim becoming so traumatised that they lose themselves and their sense of perspective, and how they continue to be manipulated by their abuser. The novel kept me reading for a few days, wanting to know what would happen next, rooting for the sisters each with their own demons to deal with. I do recommend this book to others, but not if you’re going to be triggered by the DV parts, nor if you’re feeling a bit down - this is not an uplifting story.

[bigandsmallreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot follows two sisters, Evelyn and Maggie, one reliable, and always doing the right thing, the other going off the rails. They both dream of moving to America, Evelyn promising to take her younger sister with her if it happens. But when Evelyn does move to America after marrying a doctor, Maggie remains at home in Ghana, feeling let down by Evelyn for not taking her with her. We follow the two sisters as they go on to lead separate lives, Evelyn's, not as she had hoped, Maggie's a little more predictable.

Overall I enjoyed this book and I read it fairly quickly as a result. I particularly enjoyed Evelyn's part of the story (though the description of the structure of medical training was incorrect). Though the whole book was well written and generally enjoyable I feel Evelyn's story was just more interesting than Maggie's, but perhaps that was the point. A fairly major event towards the end of the book was unfortunately incredibly unbelievable, mainly from Evelyn's perspective, which sort of ruined things a bit as what happened didn't seem to fit with her personality.

This was a good read and I would definitely recommend it.

(Advance copy received via NetGalley)

[Sarah Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, which is the story of two sisters born in Ghana in the 70s and living a quiet middle class life there. One sister. apparently escapes to a glamorous life in America when she marries Gus a surgeon whilst the other becomes pregnant unexpectedly and is unable to keep her child as she is not married.
The married sister’s life however is not as glamorous as all appears on the surface. Her husband is physically and emotionally abusive and his job is not perhaps not what she first assumed.

This novel covers some potentially triggering subjects but manages to do so with subtlety and poise. The book is at times raw and gut wrenching but always utterly real
The author has a beautiful flowing writing style making the book an enjoyable read
I ended up feeling deeply for both the characters I felt their character descriptions were honest and real
The combination of African and North American geography add a considerable depth to this novel . The human experiences are universal enough to make this accessible for British readers
I’d recommend this novel for those who like an enjoyable character based novel with emotional undertones. The book that I’ve read most recently that I think is similar is Someone like her by Awais Khan
I read an only copy of the novel on NetGalley UK in return for a honest review. The book is published in the UK on the 4th of June 2026 by Harper Collins UK, Harper fiction.
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, StoryGraph, Goodreads, and my book blog by bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com
After medication, it will also appear on Amazon and Waterstones

[diamond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rootless blew me away so I knew I had to pick up whatever Appiah would write again. The book takes us all on a journey between two sisters lives in the US and within Ghana. While I did want a bit more character development beyond their reactions to the ongoing plot, I still deeply enjoyed it.

Excited for fans of We Were Once Girls to find this gem.

[Anastasia Boama-Aboagye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this right from the start. The characters stole my heart and I spent most of the book wanting to just hug them and save them from the pains of this life. But this is a beautifully written book, honest, hopeful and brave and I loved every second of it.