Well, reading this was a wild ride, and this case, I don’t mean that in a good way. The topic (and cover, quite frankly) of Waldo, a high school senior, lusting after her 40-year-old schlubby creative writing teacher (and succeeding) may turn off readers, but those who have read McCurdy’s bestselling memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, may be thinking of giving this a try. But here’s the thing: this is one of the most uncomfortable books I have read in a long time. I am not one to shy away from a controversial books and have a strong stomach for crude content (after all I read a pure porn novel in the 8th grade given to me by a classmate), but this has such graphic and disturbing sex scenes that I felt like I had to close my eyes (I can’t imagine getting through them in audio!). For a coming-of-age novel, it’s quite good, and there is some hope Waldo will come to her senses fairly soon, but I felt the author could have dialed down some of the graphic content a few notches and still gotten her point across.

This book is similar to two other novels I read about teacher/student relationships. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell is about a male teacher grooming and developing a long-term relationship with a high school student (loosely based on “Lolita”), and Nampa by Alissa Nutting is a novel about a female teacher who has a penchant for 14-year-old boys.

Would I recommend anyone read Half His Age? Well, for some weird reason, I like reading controversial books. Tell me something that should be censored or is creating a sensation, and I’m on it, immediately wanting to see what all the fuss is about. So if you are like me, by all means, read this, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.