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Exploring loyalty and love, a young housewife’s coming-of-age becomes a confrontation with the harmful effects of America’s entry into the Atomic Age in this fine historical fiction novel.

After her brother’s death in Vietnam, Eileen O’Malley is sweep up in a whirlwind romance with Paul Archer, a dashing young man on a trajectory for success in the US Navy. In 1974 Paul is stationed in Italy and they move to La Maddalena, an island in the Mediterranean near Sardinia, where Paul is in charge of a submarine’s nuclear containment. Eileen is having a hard time fitting into her new role as a naval wife plus she’s aligned herself with the residents of the island who are angered by the presence of nuclear pollution. And then she meets Teo, a journalist investigating the Navy’s clandestine operations. Eileen’s romantic entanglement with Teo may not bode well for her marriage.

This was such a fascinating story and the exploration of America’s beginnings with nuclear submarines and nuclear contamination were most interesting topics for a novel - this is why I so firmly believe in the importance of books that give insights into history we may know nothing about. I loved the descriptions of the island, they are magical - who cannot love the beauty of the Mediterranean. This is part due to book reflecting the author’s actual experiences on the island growing up when her own father was stationed there.

I enjoyed Beanland’s previous book, Florence Adler Swims Forever. She knows how to capture emotions so well as she did in this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for allowing me access to this ARC.

THE HALF LIFE
By Rachel Beanland

Set in the mid-1970s, The Half Life follows twenty-three-year-old Eileen O’Malley, who impulsively marries the charming naval officer Paul Archer and moves with him to the remote island of La Maddalena, where he oversees radiological controls aboard a U.S. Navy submarine tender. As Eileen adjusts to life overseas and becomes part of a close-knit group of Navy wives, growing concerns over the presence of nuclear submarines and the secrets surrounding them lead her to question both her marriage and where her true loyalties lie.

The characters are richly developed and feel authentic, making it easy to become invested in their friendships, marriages, and the difficult choices they face. Rachel Beanland also weaves the political and social tensions of the era throughout the story, and the historical research is evident without ever overwhelming the narrative.

There is romance, and some scenes may be more intimate than some readers prefer. Since I don’t usually gravitate toward romance, I was pleasantly surprised that it felt like a natural part of Eileen’s journey of self-discovery rather than overshadowing the story.

Beanland’s writing is vivid and atmospheric, bringing both Navy life and the beautiful 1970s Italian island setting to life. The tone is reflective and emotionally layered, with a steady pace that allows Eileen’s personal growth and the moral complexities of the story to unfold naturally.

I really enjoyed The House Is on Fire, and The Half Life was another satisfying read. It started a little slowly for me, but before long I was completely drawn into this beautifully crafted story. I’ll definitely be looking forward to whatever Rachel Beanland writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advance review copy. The Half Life publishes July 14, 2026.

The Half Life is an entertaining, informative historical fiction about the US Navy’s presence off Sardinia in the mid 1970s. Eileen is only 23 when Lt. Paul Archer sweeps her off her feet, marries her within months and then whisks her off to Italy. Beanland does a great job of portraying the hierarchy and protocol of Navy wives, of being a stranger in a strange land, especially a young, naive one. And as someone who lived through the 70s when women were still fighting to be treated as equals even at a cocktail party, Beanland nails it. The sad part is always how many women were willing participants to keep their sex down. Eileen realizes how little she knows, but at least she wants to learn. I was less than enthralled by how much of the book was devoted to Eileen’s sexual awakening along with her infidelity. It was hard to root for someone who was too chicken to just cut the strings on her marriage.

The book is written as if Eileen is writing to someone. While awkward at times, it also enables Adler to sneak in all sorts of facts about Italian, US and world history and politics. But it also made me question why she was so willing to share so many personal details about her sex life with this unnamed (until the very end) person. The book covers a lot of interesting themes, including fidelity, political involvement and activism, trust and friendship when beliefs don’t align.

I was thrilled to learn via The Author’s Note that Beanland actually spent part of her youth on La Maddalena with a father who was in the Navy.

My thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book.