Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy

Half His Age: Jennette McCurdy’s Bold Debut Novel About Desire, Power, and Coming of Age

About the Book

Half His Age is a fearless, unflinching debut novel that dives deep into the mind of a seventeen-year-old girl desperate to be seen, desired, and understood. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of I’m Glad My Mom Died comes a sad, funny, and thrilling novel exploring sex, consumerism, class, desire, loneliness, rage, and the lengths people go to in order to get what they want. It is the kind of book that grabs you by the first page and refuses to let go.

From the Back Cover

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 in her effort to be seen, to be desired, to be loved. This is not a love story. It is something far more real, more uncomfortable, and more honest than that.

About the Author

Jennette 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 and Autobiography, a book that became a #1 New York Times bestseller and has sold more than four million copies worldwide. She is also creating and showrunning an Apple TV+ series inspired by her memoir, starring Jennifer Aniston, and produced by Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment.  With Half His Age, she steps fully into fiction, and she does not hold back.

Who Is This Book For?

This book is for readers who want fiction that does not flinch or play it safe. If you love dark, character-driven literary fiction that explores messy emotions, complicated relationships, and the raw experience of growing up, this book was written for you. It is a bold novel for edge-seekers, doom-scrollers, latchkey kids, and all those who have ever loved hard and wanted more than the world was willing to give.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy about? A: Half His Age follows Waldo, a seventeen-year-old girl who becomes obsessed with her married creative writing teacher, Mr. Korgy. The novel explores themes of desire, power, class, female rage, and the desperate need to be understood. It is a dark and funny coming-of-age story, not a romance.

Q: Is Half His Age appropriate for young adult readers? A: This book is written for adult readers aged 18 and above. It deals with mature themes including sexuality, addiction, and power dynamics in an honest and explicit way. It is not suitable for younger teen readers.

Q: Is Half His Age connected to I’m Glad My Mom Died? A: The two books share the same author, Jennette McCurdy, and her signature dark humor and emotional honesty. However, Half His Age is a completely separate work of fiction. McCurdy confirmed that while an age-gap relationship she experienced at 18 served as a jumping-off point, the novel is not autobiographical.

Q: Has Half His Age received good reviews? A: Yes. On the review-aggregation site Book Marks, the novel received an overall “Positive” rating, with reviewers frequently highlighting its deliberate provocation and dark humor, alongside praise for McCurdy’s narrative voice.  Major outlets including The New York Times, NPR, The Guardian, The Washington Post, and Rolling Stone all praised the book.