The Real Story Behind Jennette McCurdy’s Novel ‘Half His Age’

Jennette McCurdy, known for her role on iCarly and for her memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died, discussed her new novel Half His Age on the Modern Love podcast. Her memoir was a New York Times best seller for over 80 weeks, and she said the novel is a work of fiction that draws on elements of her own life.

Half His Age follows a 17-year-old girl named Waldo and her emotionally and sexually intense relationship with a 40-year-old teacher, Mr. Korgy. McCurdy said she told the story through Waldo’s perspective to capture the instability of that age and worked to portray both characters without simple moral judgment, revising Korgy to feel more believable and sympathetic.

McCurdy said writing the novel surfaced unprocessed anger about an age-gap relationship she experienced when she was about 18 and that the drafting process helped her work through those memories. She emphasized the book’s interest in female rage, desire and power, and in depicting the mutuality and complexity of the characters’ dynamic.

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