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Half is narrated by two twin sisters who speak in one voice, until they discover a family secret that breaks that voice in two. Written in swift, elegant prose, Half is an eerie and profound story not just of twinship but of what it means to be an angry, hurt, ambitious girl divided against herself, estranged from others, and unsure how to weigh the violence she’s experienced with the alliances she needs.
Prais
Named a 2021 Michigan Notable Book, the Library of Michigan’s “judgment on the very best titles published in the preceding year.”
“Fans of Jeffrey Eugenides, Andre Dubus III, and Jane Smiley will adore Harrigan’s suspenseful, lyrical, and consuming exploration of two difficult lives, intertwined.The adjective ‘haunting’ can be overused to describe dynamic and poignant literary fiction, but it couldn’t be more fitting here. Raw and powerful, Half will stay with you. ”
─Booklist, STAR
“Riveting and inventive, this is a cut above the average coming-of-age tale.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Gripping … Harrigan’s novel will leave you eagerly turning pages to discover what happens next.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Half is mesmerizing, a bright and inventive novel like no other. I was swept away, pulled into the conspiracy that is twindom, with its exquisite sweetness and cruelty. The mystery that propels the story forward artfully reflects the mystery of twindom itself.”
—Bonnie Jo Campbell, author, Mothers Tell Your Daughters
“I love this novel. I couldn’t put it down. In its (nearly) collective narration by sisters Half reminds me of Jeffrey Eugenides’s The Virgin Suicides, but the story is dazzling, startling, and fresh. Half proves irresistible page after lyrical page.”
—Jesse Lee Kercheval, author of Underground Women
“Told in a singular voice using the first person plural, from the point of view of twins, no less, Half could have been too clever by half. But it’s a high-wire act of a novel, and manages to pull off the improbable. We feel for these twins, this We, and are enthralled by their unique story and by the cadence and humor and humanity of this daring, extraordinary novel.”
—Porter Shreve, author of The End of the Book
“At turns remarkably lovely and frighteningly odd, Half, by Sharon Harrigan, is as sweet as it is creepy and strange. The story is told from the plural perspective of twins, reminiscent of Justin Torres’ We the Animals, with tension so organically built in that the very nature of the story, the style in which it’s told, lends itself to a troubling dynamic, like the twins themselves. Twice the threat at every turn, Half is lyrical, imaginative, and smart. A little novel pulling off a very big feat.”
—Deborah Reed, author of The Days When Birds Come Back
“Innovative and inventive, this novel does the impossible. It makes us believe two people can be so close they are virtually the same person. Harrigan’s magic trick is so convincing that when the twins lose their bond, we feel ourselves being broken in half too.”
—Bret Anthony Johnston, author of Remember Me Like This
“Sharon Harrigan’s Half is the kind of story that lingers in the mind, haunting and unsettling, dark but redemptive, compelling in the way of the best fairy tales. I want to read it again and again to understand all of its rich layers.”
—Artis Henderson, author of Unremarried Widow