"Half a World Away" Book Review

 Half a World Away

Written by Mike Gayle

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

 

Half a World Away happens to be a novel that I had looked forward to for months. After misplacing my secondhand copy, a day after finding it, I longed to find it once more. I returned back to the United States after staying with my fiancé for a good majority of 2020, I found a new hardcover copy of it on my bookshelf, thanks to the lovely publisher.

Half a World Away was written from two perspectives: of tired, overwhelmed single mother Kerry and her long-lost brother, Noah, who is struggling with an impending divorce. The two characters were separated by the English foster care system. Kerry grew up in a home and eventually aged out of the system, while Noah was adopted by a kind, large family. Although they were not connected until mid-adulthood, Kerry has written to Noah so they can meet and become reacquainted.

The premise itself is not one that I would typically be drawn to, but the allure of the long-lost novel and the long-lost plot intrigued me. I personally felt that the premise itself was executed well, but my enjoyment while reading was lackluster. First and foremost, Mike Gayle’s writing style is extremely lengthy and excessive. Nearly every paragraph has at least four lines, and at one point I counted one paragraph to be twenty-three lines long. The characters ramble within their own thoughts, and the dialogue is just as ridiculous. Kerry and Noah’s dialogue, as well as other characters, is presented more as a monologue or a speech, as if each paragraph is meant to be a groundbreaking, plot-revealing moment. I felt that most of the time, many chunks of dialogue were unnecessary.

Additionally, I found it extremely difficult to decipher any differences in the way each perspective was told; Kerry’s and Noah’s prose was nearly identical, without any different calling cards to spice up the prose.

I found it incredibly difficult to like Kerry and Noah. Kerry loses her temper often, she smacks her child, and consistently lies so that her life runs more smoothly. Are we supposed to pity and / or sympathize with her? Noah is a better person, but I still find him tiring to read. His entire commentary seems to be ‘I don’t know how to trust people, because I was adopted. Did you know? Did you know that I was adopted? I’ll tell you nine more times in this chapter, in case you forget.’ Many of the decisions Kerry and Noah make seem rushed and immature, which makes me lose my interest in them almost immediately after I find some.

 Lastly, I felt there were too many scenes that were too short. Imagine, having paragraphs so long that they fit half a page, but half a chapter is dedicated to an interesting location or adventure, like when they went to Brighton together. It felt so disappointing to have the characters travel there, eat a cone of chips, and head home. Then, we learned much of the conversation that was had through the other character’s perspective, in the next chapter. Too much of the novel just gives away exposition without actually providing an interesting plot or sequence of events.

However, there are some positive aspects to the novel. I enjoyed the idea of the separated siblings becoming close once again. Their plot lines of struggling with their marriages and children felt very natural, and I appreciated the inclusion of them to flesh out the characters. As someone who has a personal connection to separated relatives, I felt it interesting to see how these characters reacted to similar events. I could see why some readers may recommend this novel to fans of This is Us, Gilmore Girls, and Parenthood for the tough but sentimental family drama. The ending felt incredibly predictable, but I was still not really interested in its execution. I feel that most readers and writers could have predicted each plot point in order.

Unfortunately, I disliked this novel more than I liked it. I would consider reading another novel by this same author, but I just cannot speak to the brilliance of this one. The lackluster plot and writing style brought the novel down for me, lessening my enjoyment.

 

I rate this book at three stars out of five stars. Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for sending along a finished review copy.