Half Lives

No one can hurt you like a sister

Growing up in 1970s Ghana, Evelyn and Maggie are two sides of the same coin. While reliable Evelyn is entrusted to support her struggling family, Maggie skips class to flirt with boys. Despite their differences, they’ve made a promise: one day they will escape to America, and start a new life together.

Evelyn’s prospects transform when she marries Gus, a wealthy surgeon who already lives in New York, and quickly falls pregnant. Meanwhile, Maggie sees her prospects vanish when she realises she is also expecting, but without the crucial detail of a husband.

When a terrible accident causes Evelyn to lose her unborn child, the answer seems simple, and Evelyn takes her sister’s unwanted baby to the States to raise as her own. But such an act has untold consequences for both sisters, and when one of them changes their mind, an impossible decision awaits.

An emotional gut-punch of a novel, Half Lives is about the enduring power of love, and what it can withstand before it breaks.

Reviews

Praise for Rootless by Krystle Zara Appiah:

‘Both tender and powerful; almost unbearably moving. It broke my heart’ LOUISE O’NEILL

‘Brave, insightful and heart-breaking’ RACHEL EDWARDS

‘Beautiful and gripping… unforgettable’ EMILIA HART

‘Tender, intimate and unflinching’ EMYLIA HALL

‘An open and honest exploration of the rediscovery of love, motherhood, and the choices we make and sacrifice.’ GAL-DEM

‘Highly relatable… your heart will miss a beat’ HUFFPOST UK

‘A debut novel that deserves to find many readers… a must-read’ PRIMA

‘A heartbreaking tale about motherhood and freedom’ The i paper

‘A poignant debut which marks Krystle Zara Appiah out as one of Britain’s best new young writers’ HARPER’S BAZAAR

One of ‘the best books to look forward to in 2023’ COSMOPOLITAN

‘A deeply felt novel… full of romance as well as terrible grief. Rootless enthralled me from the start.’ ILANA MASAD, author of All My Mother’s Lovers

‘Efe’s tragic story will stay with readers long after they finish turning pages’ DONNA FREITAS, author of The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano

About the author

Krystle Zara Appiah is a British-Ghanaian writer, editor and screenwriter based in London. She has a degree in literature and creative writing from the University of Kent. In 2020, she was one of forty writers selected for the London Library’s Emerging Writers Programme. Her debut novel, Rootless, was highly acclaimed, with Krystle heralded as 'One of Britain's best new writers' by Harper's Bazaar.