Jennette McCurdy's Provocative New Novel Explores Taboo Relationship

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Jennette McCurdy, the former Nickelodeon star known for her role on "iCarly," has written a bold new novel called "Half His Age" that explores the taboo subject of a sexual relationship between a 17-year-old girl and her 40-year-old married teacher. The novel, which McCurdy says is fueled by her own unprocessed anger from a similar real-life experience, is already generating buzz and polarized reactions ahead of its release.

Why it matters

McCurdy's novel represents a dramatic departure from her past public persona as a Nickelodeon star, showcasing her evolution as a serious writer unafraid to tackle complex and unsettling themes. The book's unflinching portrayal of the controversial relationship is likely to be polarizing, but McCurdy hopes it will resonate with women who have struggled with skewed power dynamics in their own lives.

The details

In "Half His Age," the protagonist Waldo, a lonely 17-year-old girl, instigates a sexual relationship with her 40-year-old married creative writing teacher, Mr. Korgy. McCurdy, who experienced a similar relationship as a teenager, wanted to explore the psychological factors that led Waldo into this taboo situation, rather than simply depicting a story of victim and abuser. The novel contains explicit and disturbing sex scenes, which McCurdy refused to sanitize or romanticize, aiming instead to make readers feel unsettled and queasy at times.

• McCurdy first had the idea for the story that would become "Half His Age" at age 24, while traveling on a bullet train through Japan.
• McCurdy sold the novel to Ballantine in a reported two-book, seven-figure deal in the fall of 2022, about seven years after first conceiving the idea.

What they’re saying

What’s next

McCurdy is currently writing another book, also a work of fiction, in addition to working on the screen adaptation of "Half His Age" which she is attached to direct.