Half the Child by William J. McGee ~ a Review

by William J. McGee

First Chapter, First Paragraph

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

July 2018; 978-0692145340
ebook, print (376 pages); family life

This realistic book takes place over 4 summers as Mike navigates the custody battles over his son Benjamin. It's divided into 4 sections - in section 1, Benjamin is 2 1/2 and in section 4, he is 4 1/2. As the initial battle becomes not only visitation but when his mom moves out of the country and abducts the child, it becomes a battle for total custody. All Mike wants is the chance to have his son in his life and be able to be his father. As the custody battle escalates, Mike begins to have trouble at his job and goes bankrupt trying to pay lawyers as he refuses to believe that it is fair that he has a life without his son in it.  He becomes temporarily homeless and suffers suicidal depression as he tries to find his son in Europe.  For both Ben and Mike, these are years of unparalleled growth. But with courts continually ruling against Ben’s father, it remains uncertain if their bond will survive. Ultimately, they will write their own love story.

This is an interesting and well-written novel. What's so sad is that this battle goes on every day and no one - especially the courts - have much sympathy for the father.

HALF THE CHILD was a semi-finalist in both the 2017 James Jones First Novel Competition and the 2017 William Faulkner Creative Writing Competition.

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Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina when she isn't traveling. She and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening and spending time with their family and friends. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook, Goodreads, or Twitter. 

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