The Better Half
A Novel
Published on 1. July 2023
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-1-6625-1233-9 (ISBN)
Description
"Charming, laugh-out-loud funny, and honest, The Better Half celebrates the absurdity and joy in life, and does so with an enviable grace and good heart." -Mindy Kaling
From comedy writing duo Alli Frank and Asha Youmans comes The Better Half, a sidesplitting spin on reaching the pinnacle of life, only to stare down a slippery slope on the other side.
After a difficult five years, at age forty-three, Nina Morgan Clarke's time has finally arrived. With an ex-husband relocated across the country, her father bouncing back after the loss of his beloved wife, and her daughter, Xandra, thriving at boarding school, Nina is stepping into her dream job as a trifecta: a first-generation, Black female head of the storied Royal-Hawkins School. To mark the moment, Nina and her best friend, Marisol, take a long-overdue girls' trip to celebrate the second half of Nina's life-which is shaping up to be the best part of her life.
As Nina's school year gets underway, all seems to be progressing as planned. Before long, wunder-hire Jared Jones, two hundred pounds of Harvard-educated ego, relentlessly pushes Nina to her ethical limits. Soon after, dutiful Xandra accuses one of her teachers of misconduct. And most alarming, the repercussions of her trip with Marisol force Nina into a life-altering choice. Time is of the essence, and Nina must decide if she will embrace a future she never could have predicted.
From comedy writing duo Alli Frank and Asha Youmans comes The Better Half, a sidesplitting spin on reaching the pinnacle of life, only to stare down a slippery slope on the other side.
After a difficult five years, at age forty-three, Nina Morgan Clarke's time has finally arrived. With an ex-husband relocated across the country, her father bouncing back after the loss of his beloved wife, and her daughter, Xandra, thriving at boarding school, Nina is stepping into her dream job as a trifecta: a first-generation, Black female head of the storied Royal-Hawkins School. To mark the moment, Nina and her best friend, Marisol, take a long-overdue girls' trip to celebrate the second half of Nina's life-which is shaping up to be the best part of her life.
As Nina's school year gets underway, all seems to be progressing as planned. Before long, wunder-hire Jared Jones, two hundred pounds of Harvard-educated ego, relentlessly pushes Nina to her ethical limits. Soon after, dutiful Xandra accuses one of her teachers of misconduct. And most alarming, the repercussions of her trip with Marisol force Nina into a life-altering choice. Time is of the essence, and Nina must decide if she will embrace a future she never could have predicted.
Reviews / Votes
Named one of AARP's Hot Summer Novels of 2023"The third book from comedy writing duo Alli Frank and Asha Youmans dazzled Mindy Kaling so much that she is publishing the book under her own imprint launched in 2022, Mindy's Book Studio." -Entertainment Weekly "Best Books of Summer 2023"
"The Better Half is a rom-com unafraid to tackle weighty issues, and Nina's narrative voice is a delightfully funny one." -The Seattle Times
"Charming, laugh-out-loud funny, and honest, The Better Half celebrates the absurdity and joy in life, and does so with an enviable grace and good heart." -Mindy Kaling
"The Better Half sizzles with sharp observations and even sharper wit from the first page to the delicious end. Alli Frank and Asha Youmans are a formidable team skewering the culture that forces women into roles while writing characters who both embrace, eschew, and finally succeed in their own powerful way." -Ann Garvin, USA Today bestselling author of I Thought You Said This Would Work
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Amazon Publishing
ISBN-13
978-1-6625-1233-9 (9781662512339)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Alli Frank has worked in education for more than twenty years, from boisterous public high schools to small, progressive private schools. A graduate of Cornell and Stanford University, Alli lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two daughters. With Asha Youmans, she is the coauthor of Tiny Imperfections and Never Meant to Meet You and is a contributing essayist in the anthology Moms Don't Have Time To: A Quarantine Anthology.
Asha Youmans spent two decades teaching elementary school students. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Asha lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. With Alli Frank, she is the coauthor of Tiny Imperfections and Never Meant to Meet You.
For more information visit the authors at www.alliandasha.com or @alliandasha.
Asha Youmans spent two decades teaching elementary school students. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Asha lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. With Alli Frank, she is the coauthor of Tiny Imperfections and Never Meant to Meet You.
For more information visit the authors at www.alliandasha.com or @alliandasha.