Half His Age
by Jennette McCurdy
Narrated by Jennette McCurdy
Why Listen to This Audiobook?
McCurdy wrote a novel about wanting the wrong person badly enough to ruin everything — and then narrated it herself, which makes it twice as uncomfortable.
- Great if you want: raw, uncomfortable fiction about desire, class, and self-delusion
- Listening experience: short and punchy at 4.5 hours — tense, darkly comic, rarely cozy
- Narration: McCurdy's own voice adds an unsettling intimacy no other narrator could fake
- Skip if: you need a likable or self-aware protagonist to stay engaged
About This Audiobook
Seventeen-year-old Waldo navigates the messy terrain of adolescent desire when she becomes fixated on Mr. Korgy, her married creative writing teacher. Set against the backdrop of contemporary suburban life, the story explores the complex psychology of a lonely teenager whose hunger for connection leads her down increasingly problematic paths. As Waldo pursues an inappropriate relationship with a man twice her age, McCurdy examines themes of power, longing, and the dangerous lengths people go to feel seen and understood.
McCurdy's intimate narration brings remarkable depth to this character study, inhabiting Waldo's voice with both vulnerability and sharp wit. Her performance captures the protagonist's contradictory nature—simultaneously naive and perceptive, desperate yet defiant—creating an unsettling authenticity that makes listeners both cringe and empathize. The author's background as a performer shows in her nuanced delivery, using subtle vocal shifts to convey Waldo's internal turmoil and misguided rationalizations. McCurdy's reading transforms what could be an uncomfortable premise into a compelling exploration of adolescent psychology, making this four-and-a-half-hour audiobook feel both intimate and urgent.
