Jennette McCurdy, the former child star turned bestselling author, has unleashed a powerful new work of fiction that continues her unflinching exploration of psychological damage. Her debut novel, Half His Age, arrives after the seismic impact of her 2022 memoir, I'm Glad My Mom Died, and proves she is a formidable literary voice.
From Memoir to Masterful Fiction
McCurdy's memoir was a cultural phenomenon, selling millions of copies and igniting global conversations about narcissistic parenting, eating disorders, and sexual abuse. It chronicled her life as a Nickelodeon star and the profound generational trauma inflicted by her mother, Debra. Now, in Half His Age, she channels those raw experiences into a bleak yet often hilarious fictional narrative, published by 4th Estate at £16.99.
The novel centres on Waldo, a disaffected high school senior whose sense of self has been eroded by a chaotic, over-enmeshed relationship with her mother. McCurdy paints their dynamic with savage, sitcom-sharp dialogue, showing a relationship that uneasily oscillates between friends, siblings, and carer. Waldo has been managing her mother's emotions since she was five, receiving toxic advice on seduction and the need to mould herself to please men.
A Life of Empty Transactions
Waldo's existence is one of profound loneliness, symbolised by a house full of colourful Post-it notes and unsatisfying TV dinners. She attempts to fill the emotional void with a compulsive online shopping addiction, where junk food and fast fashion purchases become metaphors for her internal wasteland. This numbness propels her into a desperate, obsessive pursuit of her married English teacher, Mr Korgy.
Korgy is no simple predator. McCurdy crafts him as a complex, pathetic figure—a failed writer, a World of Warcraft devotee, and a man trapped in his own life. The power dynamic between teacher and student is masterfully explored, shifting uncomfortably from father-daughter to a twisted Pygmalion scenario. McCurdy's writing is textured and visceral, detailing Waldo's mix of lust and disgust with gleeful, uncomfortable precision.
The Illusion of Control in Chaos
The heart of the novel lies in its examination of trauma's legacy. Waldo's masochistic plunge into the affair is portrayed as another addiction, a tragicomic search for control within a profoundly uneven relationship. The intimate scenes are a particular highlight, described with a tone that can shift seamlessly from body horror to French farce.
Half His Age is a triumph that confirms McCurdy's talent for dissecting multilayered trauma with artful, scab-picking detail. It is a bleak, funny, and profoundly uncomfortable read that solidifies her move from child star to a serious and compelling authorial force.
