I enjoyed Jennette McCurdy’s unflinching memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, as much as you can “enjoy” any book that recounts emotional and physical abuse. The former child actor known for her role on Nickelodeon’s “iCarly” detailed her complicated relationship with her late mother with vivid writing and a directness that reminded me of modern classic memoirs like The Glass Castle and Educated.
So I was intrigued to hear that McCurdy was coming out with a novel. And then I read the description. And then I saw the cover. And oh, boy.
Half His Age follows the sexual fantasies and realities of 17-year-old Waldo, a teenager who becomes infatuated with her teacher. Waldo lives in Anchorage, Alaska, with a single mother who chases man after man and makes lots of promises she doesn’t keep. So right away, we get hints of McCurdy’s memoir and wonder how much of this fiction might be based on reality.
Waldo is snarky, vulgar and sexually aggressive. She binges on junk food. She works at Victoria’s Secret and blows her paychecks with online shopping sprees. She buys clothes, makeup and skin care products in an attempt to make herself beautiful, or at least something she thinks others might want her to be. After a series of sexual encounters with boys her own age, which she recounts in graphic but emotionally distant detail, Waldo sets her sights on Mr. Korgy, her married, balding, middle-aged creative writing teacher.
(Can we pause just a second to appreciate these characters’ names? Waldo. And Mr. Korgy. Those details tell you a lot about McCurdy’s overall message here, with Waldo searching to find her true self among the crowd, and instead fixating on Korgy, with the puppy-dog eyes.)
Where the novel goes from here is predictable and hard to read — a modern-day Lolita set in the classrooms and closets of an American high school. But McCurdy gives us a wholly original character, and a plot that twists and turns and keeps us guessing. Waldo is brash and self-deprecating, and while she behaves like an average 17-year-old, she is not a stereotypical victim.
The author does not shy away from parental blame, as she makes clear that Waldo’s dysfunctional family sets the stage for her reckless pursuit of affection and love. In fact, some of the novel’s most troubling scenes don’t involve the mismatched lovers (although those are plenty disturbing), but rather the exchanges between mother and daughter. Waldo is raised to believe that the secret to happiness is pretending — transforming herself into a woman that fulfills a man’s fantasies without caring, or even knowing, who she really wants to be.
Much like McCurdy’s memoir, Half His Age is bold and brash and unapologetic. Its content will no doubt be offensive to some. But this tale of power, neglect and misguided yearning offers plenty to discuss.
