HALF THE CHILD: Debut novel by William J. McGee explores custody, child abduction and parental alienation — from a devoted dad's perspective

QUEENS, N.Y. - July 16, 2018 - PRLog -- HALF THE CHILD, a new novel by William J. McGee, tackles the rarely explored and volatile issues of child abduction and parental alienation—when one parent attempts to turn a child against the other parent. The story unfolds over four consecutive summers in the lives of Michael Mullen, a LaGuardia Airport air traffic controller, and his son Benjamin, who ages from 2½ to 5½. The novel chronicles the separation, divorce, custody battle—and heart-wrenching abduction—that threaten to tear apart father and son. Through it all, Mike steadfastly refuses to consider a life where he'd live apart from Ben. Ultimately, father and son write their own love story.

Tens of millions of fathers and mothers—and their children—are victims of parental alienation, which can take a variety of painful forms. Awareness of this issue of "family bond obstruction" has been raised recently in courtrooms, through celebrity break-ups, and by documentary filmmakers.

William J. McGee, author of HALF THE CHILD, received an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University and has taught undergraduate and graduate Creative Writing at Hofstra University. An award-winning nonfiction writer as well, McGee is the author of Attention All Passengers (HarperCollins, 2012), an exposé of the airline industry. He's following that up with AirFear, a scripted television drama now in development. McGee has worked in airline flight operations management at LaGuardia Airport and served in the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary. He is a native of Queens, where most of the novel is set. McGee now lives in Connecticut, where he is working on another novel. He is also a devoted father.

HALF THE CHILD

A Novel by William J. McGee

Published by: CreateSpace

ISBN-13: 978-0692145340 (William J. McGee)

ISBN-10: 0692145346

Available on Amazon: July, 2018

$15.95 trade paperback

$2.99 Kindle


* Semi-finalist, James Jones First Novel Competition

* Semi-finalist, William Faulkner Creative Writing Competition

"Heartbreaking, hilarious, emotionally raw, and still packed with suspense on every page… a laugh-through-your-tears kind of novel."

—    Katherine Taylor, author of Valley Fever and Rules for Saying Goodbye

"Smart, funny, and deeply moving, Half the Child offers a fresh and refreshing take on the perils of parenthood and the healing of damaged families."

—    Judith Stone, author of When She Was White: The True Story of a Family Divided By Race

"An irresistible page-turner but at the same time thoughtful, precise, and wise in its observations…It may be the best novel I've ever read about a father's love."

—    Tom De Haven, author of It's Superman! and the Derby Dugan Trilogy