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! When they get to Kazakhstan, it turns out the infant they’ve traveled for has already been adopted, and literally within minutes are faced with having to choose from six other babies. While his parents agonize, Jaden is more interested in the toddlers. One, a little guy named Dimash, spies Jaden and barrels over to him every time he sees him. Jaden finds himself increasingly intrigued by and worried about Dimash. Already three years old and barely able to speak, Dimash will soon age out of the orphanage, and then his life will be as hopeless as Jaden feels now. For the first time in his life, Jaden actually feels something that isn’t pure blinding fury, and there’s no way to control it, or its power. Kerry Hayes is a single mother trying to earn a living house cleaning for people, because the job fits around her having a child at nursery school. 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

Trigger warnings: May contain spoilers. Select from here cancer, death, adoption to here to see list of trigger warnings. He closed his eyes and stayed very still, concentrating on his electricity. He could feel a slight tingling in his hands. He hadn’t even known what electricity was when he was first adopted from Romania four years earlier. In Romania he’d lived in four different group homes, and none of them had electricity. I too” was exactly the kind of thing Steve said. “Perhaps” for “maybe,” “distressed” for “upset,” and so on. He was a word nerd.Mike Gayle just gets better and better and HALF A WORLD AWAY might be the loveliest yet. -- Jenny Colgan, author of The Little Shop of Happy-Ever-After

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".

Without a doubt Mike Gayle's best book, and I've read them all, and its such a powerful but heartbreaking story,

Jaden knew it didn’t make sense, but he felt like if his real mother could have had electricity, if she could have only plugged in a light and turned it on, she wouldn’t have had to give him away. He’d told this to one of his former psychiatrists—a man whose name he couldn’t remember—and the psychiatrist had asked, “Why do you think that, Jaden?” When I finished High School I studied at the University of Sydney. I had a great time studying mainly history but also getting involved in lots of things happening at the University and the city. It was the time of the anti-Vietnam war protests and the rise of the Women's Movement.Jaden didn’t even answer. He couldn’t sit on a side. Period. “I won’t ride in the car anymore,” he said. “I’ll ride my bicycle everywhere.” He felt bitterness well up inside himself, moving up from his stomach to his mouth, and he gagged slightly. He knew he was overreacting, but he couldn’t help it. This is a beautiful, beautiful book. It's about family, about class, about love, about choices and sacrifice. It's about letting go and learning to hold on. It's optimistic and heartbreaking and funny and emotional. It's the kind of book that will stay with you, long after you finish it. Buy it, read it, love it - and hang on to those tissues, you'll need them.' Netgalley

Blurb: Kerry Hayes is a 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. 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. Heartbreaking and wonderful, a beautiful book about the power of love to surmount almost anything. (Julie Cohen) Mike Gayle just gets better and better and HALF A WORLD AWAY might be the loveliest yet. (Jenny Colgan, author of The Little Shop of Happy-Ever-After) I was also born in Birmingham — in my humble opinion the greatest city in the world with the nicest people too.

Books Multibuys

I defy you not to shed a tear at this beautiful story... a touching and life-affirming read. * Prima * Heartbreaking and wonderful, a beautiful book about the power of love to surmount almost anything. -- Julie Cohen