Jennette McCurdy, the former child actor turned New York Times bestselling author, has ventured into fiction with her debut novel, Half His Age. The book, released on 20 January 2026, is a provocative exploration of power, desire, and grooming, drawing direct inspiration from McCurdy's own disturbing teenage experiences.
From Memoir to Fiction: A Personal Story
Following the monumental success of her memoir, I'm Glad My Mom Died, which spent over 80 weeks on the bestseller list, McCurdy turns her sharp, sardonic voice to narrative fiction. Half His Age tells the story of Waldo, a 17-year-old Alaskan high school student who begins an illicit affair with her creative writing teacher, the nearly-40, balding Mr Korgy.
McCurdy has revealed that the novel's unsettling premise is rooted in her own past. On the Call Her Daddy podcast, she described a "creepy" and "twisted" relationship she had as a teenager with a much older man on the set of iCarly. She recounted how he would try to shape her tastes in films and music, an experience of manipulation that heavily informs the book's dynamics.
A Modern, Grittier Take on a Taboo Subject
The novel, published by Fourth Estate, is a page-turner that has been labelled one of 2026's most daring reads. While drawing parallels to Lolita, McCurdy's retelling is distinctly modern. Her protagonist, Waldo, is given agency and is acutely aware of her teacher's manipulations, even as she participates in the exploitative relationship.
McCurdy does not shy away from explicit or vulgar details, maintaining the darkly comedic and unflinching tone that characterised her memoir. In one graphic scene, Waldo hides in a wardrobe from Mr Korgy's wife, covered in her own period blood. The author explores themes of class, loneliness, and power against a backdrop of seedy motels and shopping centre car parks.
Does the Novel Live Up to the Hype?
Early reviews praise the novel's razor-sharp prose, excellent pacing, and its compelling, if objectionable, central affair. McCurdy's wit ensures the story is peppered with laughable one-liners, even at its darkest moments.
However, some character elements, such as Waldo's online shopping addiction, are critiqued as feeling superficial, and her mother's redemption arc doesn't fully land. The review notes that while Waldo ultimately chooses herself, the profound impact of such a relationship feels somewhat underexplored.
McCurdy has stated that Waldo represents everything she wished she could have been during her own teenage entanglement. In this sense, Half His Age serves as a form of catharsis for the author, a means of processing and reclaiming her narrative. It is a conversation-starting novel that offers an important, if uncomfortable, examination of grooming and power dynamics.
