“Half Life is a brilliant story on so many levels. First and foremost the story can't fail to engage you. You know from the first paragraph that the central character is going to die and you immediately want to know how and why and what happened.

 

“It is extremely well written, in clear, strong tones and with a lack of sentimentality that makes the story of her illness even more compelling and powerful. For example, one of my favourite lines is: "Adelaide was pacified by the idea that at the time of her death, she'd be so fed up with being ill, she'd be happy to die." This character doesn't feel sorry for herself, she's just telling it as it is, and that is true throughout the story. I loved the portrayal of the sisterly relationship, at once close and cruel.

 

“The outstanding thing about the book though is the description of Adelaide's disease. Not just the effect it has on her (images that will stay with me forever such as the weakness in her fingers as she tries to learn the piano) but the reaction of others, such as the gauche behaviour of people on a bus she travels on in her wheelchair, and the stares when she falls over and is unable to get up. You realise that for people with serious illness, the actual illness is just the beginning. Half Life should be compulsive reading. Not only will it make you grateful for the full life you have, but it might make you act like a person and not a moron next time you see someone who is in a wheelchair. 

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“Half Life should be compulsory reading. It is extremely well written in clear strong tones. A brilliant story on so many levels, it can’t fail to engage you and make you grateful for the full life you have.”

 

Helena Frith Powell
Journalist and Author