Jennette McCurdy, known for her bestselling memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died, has released her debut work of fiction, Half His Age. The novel continues to explore themes of generational trauma and blurred parent-child boundaries, this time through the story of a high school senior entangled in an affair with her married teacher.
The protagonist, Waldo, struggles with a sense of identity that is not her own, often dissociating and play-acting through sexual encounters. Her chaotic mother, depicted with dark humour, has left deep emotional wounds. Waldo recalls being given seduction advice at age five and managing her mother's emotions from an early age, reflecting a toxic enmeshment that shapes her behaviour.
To cope, Waldo turns to an online shopping addiction and empty comforts. She eventually pursues her English teacher, Mr Korgy, a failed author trapped in his own life. Their relationship oscillates between father-daughter dynamics and a Henry Higgins-Eliza Doolittle parody, with McCurdy capturing Waldo's lust and disgust in raw, textured prose.
The novel shifts tone from body horror to French farce, particularly in its final sex scene. McCurdy masterfully links Waldo's masochism with her illusion of control within the uneven power dynamic. Half His Age is described as a bleak, hilarious, and uncomfortable triumph, underscoring McCurdy's ability to unpick the multilayered nature of trauma.
