Half A World Away by Mike Gayle @mikegayle @HodderBooks #halfaworldaway #mikegayle #bookreview #bookblog

Hodder & Stoughton 27th June2019 (Hardback)

Book Description

Kerry Hayes knows exactly who she is; a single mum, a cleaner and Mariah Carey’s biggest fan.

Noah Martineau thinks he knows who he is; a successful barrister, with a wife and daughter and a big house in Primrose Hill.

Strangers with nothing in common.  Strangers living worlds apart.

But it wasn’t always this way, and Noah and Kerry are about to discover just who they really are.

My Thoughts

Firstly thank you to the publishers Hodder & Stoughton for sending me a proof copy of this lovely book.  A moving story about family and what this means.  A tender and uplifting story which touches on some difficult topics in a sensitive and credible way.  A thought provoking story which requires the reader to think about opportunities and injustice.

Lots in this book then, but all written in a contemporary format, accessible and highly readable…and really difficult to review without giving anything away.  Fans of Mike Gayle will know they want to read this one, but for anyone looking for a touching story with people and relationships at its heart, look no further.

Kerry is a single mother living in social housing with her son.  She works hard and is proud of who she is and what she has achieved, having lived a hard life.  Noah, on the other hand grew up in an affluent family and he is the product of his upbringing.  Wealthy and successful he lives with his wife and daughter.  Both of these characters are highly likeable individuals, albeit very different.  But it is no surprise that when they meet they get on, because they are both essentially decent people, open and accepting.

Written in the third person throughout, detailing Kerry and Noah’s lives in alternating chapters

A little spoiler coming up…

I am not going to comment on the plot, but I will say this book made me cry, the final chapters were sad while being heartwarming at the same time.  I enjoyed this book a lot and felt very invested in the key characters, particularly Kerry as a strong and brave female, determined to do right by her son.

For fans of contemporary fiction, this is a must.  Yes, recommended by me!

About the Author

Mike Gayle became a full time novelist in 1997 following the publication of his Sunday times top ten bestseller, My Legendary Ex-Girlfriend, which was haled by the Independent as ‘Full of belly laughs and painfully acute observations.’  Since then he has written fourteen novels including Mr Commitment, Turning Thirty and Wish You Were Here, a Quick Reads novella and a work of non fiction The To Do List.  His previous novel, The Man I Think I Know, was a selection of the Zoe Ball Book Club on ITV.  His books have been translated in to more than thirty languages.