Book Bites: Half His Age

Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Half His Age, much like it’s teenage protagonist, feels like a book that wants to be but does not quite achieve. McCurdy shows great talent; the prose sparkles with moments of pure, truthful insight. There is a passage about couples going through the motions of recounting dinner party anecdotes that feels beyond McCurdy's years. 

However, the narrative is thematically muddy. Is it about a teenager being groomed? Waldo our protagonist would probably say no. The object of her affection, nebbish Mr. Korgy is a slumping shrug of a character. The book is often bold, brazen in its sexuality, but also oddly timid, only dancing around the fallout of a teacher sleeping with his teenage student.

While McCurdy’s playing with gray morality is laudable, in the end the narrative feels like a sting of “and then” “and then” “and then” that doesn’t quite grasp any narrative string. Character growth feels unearned. There’s a lot to enjoy and themes to sink one’s teeth into, but the book doesn’t quite stick it’s landing.

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