Half a World Away

I love all Mike Gayle books and this one is no exception.
I don’t want to give anything away but this book follows Noah and Kerry 2 very different people with 2 very different lives but linked so closely.
Kerry is a single mom and cleaner.
Noah is a barrister with a wife and daughter.
This story is raw and beautiful and sad. It puts lots of things into perspective and makes you think about what is important in life.
Beautifully written, easy to read and will certainly bring tears to your eyes.
A must read.

Okay. What you need to do is block out a whole afternoon. Make sure you have a full pot of tea, a plate of biscuits (or cake or fruit, delete as applicable), a cosy reading spot and preferably a pet to cuddle up to. Put your phone on silent and let yourself be immersed in this book. You won't regret it. Oh, you'll need tissues too...
Kerry is a hardworking single mother, who adores her son, Kian, and never bemoans the hand she's been dealt. And it's not an easy hand. Put into care as a child she bounced from foster parent to foster parent, ending up in a home. A few years of reckless living followed, only for her life to change when she got pregnant. Her son will have the loving, stable home she never had and she does everything she can to provide it for him, turning their little flat into a warm, colourful home and building up a cleaning business, keen for him to see her working for every penny. Her only regret is that she has never heard back from her brother, even though she wrote regular letters to him, letters sent to the adoption agency waiting for the day he decides to investigate his birth family. And when it becomes increasingly clear that that day will never come, Kerry takes matters into her own hands.
Noah lives in a gorgeous house in Primrose Hill with his gorgeous wife and gorgeous daughter. His career as a barrister is going well, his life seems perfect. But his wife has had enough. His refusal to open up is ruining their marriage - and although Noah knows this he is incapable of doing the one thing she needs him to do. He also knows everyone is surprised by his lack of interest in his birth family, his lack of angst at being adopted, at growing up as a black child in a white family, but Noah doesn't need to look back. He can't. Until a letter arrives and changes everything. He has a sister. And she wants to meet him. And that means he can't hide from his feelings- or his past - any longer.
This is a beautiful, beautiful book. It's about family, about class, about love, about choices and sacrifice. It's about letting go and learning to hold on. It's optimistic and heartbreaking and funny and emotional. It's the kind of book that will stay with you, long after you finish it. Buy it, read it, love it - and hang on to those tissues, you'll need them.

This is a beautifully written and emotional read. I’ve always loved Mike Gayle and how he manages to give both the male and female perspective in his books. I loved the main characters and was touched by the story. I’d strongly recommend this. If you liked “Me Before You”, you’ll love this book. It’s definitely one of Mike Gayle’s best and worthy of a big fat 5 stars.

What a book! I thoroughly enjoyed this book even if it had me ugly sobbing at one point!
The story follows the journey of two half siblings as they meet again after half a lifetime of living very different lives following their separation and subsequent adoption. Kerry and Noah and both beautifully developed characters with the story from each of their perspectives.
A brilliant book and highly recommended

What a fabulous book. I was hooked from the very story. Kerry’s story is heartbreaking - and although it’s fictional you can tell it’s woven from fact. Let down by the care system, Kerry finds herself in her own flat with her young son and her family - handpicked from her days in care and her life beyond . She has been looking for her brother Jason since they were separated when he was 2 and she was 10. Kerry’s letters to Jason form the core of this book and provide context and a common thread to bring the various strands together.

I won’t tell you what happens but I will say that this author is a consummate story teller. I haven’t read one of his books for ages (my error, clearly) but his turn of phrase, his ability to get to the nun of the problem and his unflowery eloquence combine for a spectacular book.

A book that moved me in many ways - and had me in tears on the tube!

An unreserved 5🌟, a really great read!

Five Stars - Half A World Away by Mike Gayle.

How have I not read a Mike Gayle book before?

I want to give this book all of the stars in the universe. I cried my eyes out at the end. It is touching, heart-wrenching and thought-provoking to just name a few. I really, truly loved this book and I fell in love with every single one of the characters (except maybe Rosalind, who, I thought was a bit unthoughtful and self-centred for most of the book).

A major theme of the book is opportunities and how two people born from the very same womb can have totally, juxtaposing experiences in life, all from the different opportunities life threw at them. The harsh reality of being an older child in the care system compared to blissful innocence of being a baby primed and ready for adoption.

The story is told from the alternate narration of the two main characters, Kerry and Noah (or Jason if you will) and the way you read the same experiences from each of their point of view is so carefully executed. The visual imagery is so clever and I have such a clear picture in my head of how each character looks, especially Kian and Millie - I loved the later descriptions of these two from Noah's perspective, Millie the rockstar and Kian with the super gelled hair that he didn't do anything to!

One thing I would have liked to see in the book is perhaps interjections of narratives from Kian and Millie (and possibly even Rosalind) towards the end of the book, I think this would have really supported the development of the story and I would have loved to know Kian's thoughts and feelings.

A fantastic read. A big thank you to Mike Gayle for the conversation we had on Twitter about the opportunities of life.

Publication Date: 13 June 2019. Make sure you add this book to your TBR.