All together .. I was very disappointed in this book. I wanted to like it. But it was a prose-poem to love and acceptance disguised as a novel. However, I can't lie, it totally got me. Not only did I find this book relatable in many ways, I found the characters endearing and I found myself really invested in their lives - which was also helped by the writing and the setting, as it really transported me into the story. Amy and Louis is told beautifully in two ways. There’s the rhythmical, repeating language which shows the reader the special friendship between the pair in a minimum of words. Then there’s the illustrations, which focus on red, blue and neutrals to create the magical world which the pair have created in their friendship. I particularly love how the illustrations show the difference between the suburban world in Australia and the frantic, busy world Amy moves to (which I assume is New York) There were six children in the family. I was number three and there wasn't a lot of money. We didn't have television and of course there was no such thing as a computer. How have I not read a Mike Gayle book before? I want to give this book all of the starts in the universe. I cried my eyes out at the end. It is touching, heart-wrenching and thought-provoking.' Netgalley

Now, his world is turning upside down. His parents are seeking the adoption of a child residing in Kazakhstan. Not able to understand that love can encompass and enfold more than one child, he firmly knows he is being replaced because he is not doing a good job. Jaden sat on the floor, holding on to a half loaf of unsliced bread. He switched his lamp on and off, the bedroom lighting up and darkening over and over. Electricity had always relaxed him. For sure it was the most amazing thing about America. He bit off the biggest chunk of bread that could fit in his mouth. It was sourdough, which he liked because it was so chewy. HALF A WORLD AWAY is heartbreakingly lovely. Its main characters came to feel like friends of mine, and the book is full of such warmth and love. It truly captured my heart. -- Beth O'Leary, author of The Flatshare

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I also used to live in Manchester — another great city (although technically I lived in Salford which is next door but that’s sort of splitting hairs).

I do need to warn readers that this is an intensely emotional book, although beautifully written and uplifting in parts, it does give cause to have tissues close by but I did enjoy it and I would definitely read more by this author again. A tug at the heartstrings but funny, endearing and uplifting and a story I won't forget. An absolute must read! International adoption, especially private adoptions (their agency had closed)can be challenging. But even without an agency -- they don't have a lawyer? For Jaden's adoption, too ... yes, birthdates on papers sometimes change. But four years for a child that age? (One of my daughters was said to be 8 but later turned out to, most likely, be about 10. But saying a four year old was a baby? I have seen some physical conditions approved for visas if the adopting parents understood what they were... but the US is very strict about intellectual issues. Flying half way round the world, he is furious, scared and hurting. The process in Kazakhstan is not going smoothly and the parents are not given the baby promised to them. Instead, they are shown children who are biologically deformed, and/or gravely challenged.The incredibly moving and uplifting novel "Half a World Away" is an acute observation of human nature and is written by Mike Gayle, bestselling author of "The Man I Think I Know".

Because electricity is magic,” he’d answered. That same psychiatrist was the first of many to say that Jaden couldn’t attach properly to Steve and Penni because of being betrayed by the one caretaker he’d ever had—his mother. From age four to eight, he’d had to fend for himself in group homes. The story: Jaden's family is traveling to Kazakhstan to adopt another baby, and Jaden knows why: it's because he's such a failure as a son. He's got a whole bunch of terrible habits, but the worst of them is that he can't bring himself to love his adoptive parents, even after all these years. It's only after he meets toddler Dimash at the orphanage, and realizes he's the only one who cares enough to ever make a difference in the boy's life, that Jaden suddenly learns what it's like to care about someone else. Problem is, it doesn't look like it's going to make any difference, which is the worst feeling of all. He mostly wanted to invent anything related to electricity. Atoms were in constant motion, even when you were asleep. When you died, your personal electricity kind of turned off. And yet everything on the earth held constantly moving atoms. So even if your personal electricity died, your body still had a system of vibrations. Jaden hadn’t figured it all out yet, but he would someday—he’d promised himself that.Kerry Hayes is single mum, living on a tough south London estate. She provides for her son by cleaning houses she could never afford. Taken into care as a child, Kerry cannot forget her past. Jaden was adopted at the age of 8. Now at 12, his adoptive parents decides to adopt a new baby. He and his parents are travelling to Kazakhstan to meet the new member of their family. The problem is the baby is already adoptive by other family when they arrived. They end up choosing another baby. Meanwhile, Jaden meets a 3-year old boy and he starts to bond with him. As for the storyline, I enjoyed the flow and the transition from one scene to the next. The wording made reading this book a fun and emotional experience. The ending made me cry because it was so beautiful.

These are people who matter, situations one can believe. Most readers will find themselves caring very much. A life-affirming read.‘ Vine Dimash teaches Jaden how to love again. This 3 year old who cannot talk and is a special needs child teaches Jaden to stop hiding from his feelings. I kid you not when I say your heart will break watching the two interact because while Jaden is ‘falling in love’ with this kid, his parents are bonding with another baby.I too” was exactly the kind of thing Steve said. “Perhaps” for “maybe,” “distressed” for “upset,” and so on. He was a word nerd. Kerry and Noah couldn't have had any more different upbringings if they tried, but yet there are a few similarities in their lives. My first paid writing gig was for a listings magazine in Birmingham — (Actually my first unpaid writing gig was an interview with Kitchens of Distinction for Salford Student Magazine. I can’t begin to tell you how terrible it was.) This story is raw and beautiful and sad. It puts lots of things into perspective and makes you think about what is important in life. Beautifully written, easy to read and will certainly bring tears to your eyes. A must read.’ Netgalley I kind of wish I hadn’t let Catherine talk me into this dinner date,” Penni was saying. “We’ve got so much to do before we leave.”