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Published Sep 2012
336 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
"What good can the past do the living? What harm?"
Growing up in their family's ancestral home in Wales, Jonathan Anthony and his little sister, Theo, are inseparable. Together they explore the wild acres of Evendon, inventing magical worlds and buttressing each other against the loneliness of life with their alcoholic mother, Alicia, and a shifting cast of gossiping cooks and maids. When a family tragedy brings their glamorous grandmother, Eve, home from America, Jonathan and Theo are initially elated by the attention she lavishes on them. But soon it becomes clear that there is more to the Anthony family history than either Eve or Alicia will acknowledge, trapping Jonathan and Theo in a web of dark secrets that have haunted Evendon for generations.
Written in luminous prose, with richly endearing characters and a profound appreciation for the rustic beauty of the Welsh countryside, The Other Half of Me is a darkly wise coming-of-age novel and a masterful portrait of a family and the burdens of the past.
"Culminating in a tear-jerking conclusion, McCarthy deftly conjures the ghosts of the Anthony family’s past to wreak havoc on - and enrich - its tragic present." - Publishers Weekly
"Told in lush, gorgeous language that recalls classic family sagas from another century, McCarthy's stunning debut will box her readers into an impossible corner - either they'll want to race through to see what happens next or slow down and savor language that is mesmerizing in its evocative powers." - Library Journal
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Morgan McCarthy was born in Berkshire, UK, where she still lives. She has worked in a supermarket, a small independent bookstore, and, most recently, as a media analyst.
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