A Half-Hearted
Death Wish
Melanie Joy’s debut novel
is now available!
Why would a successful psychologist in excellent mental health suddenly want to take her own life?
When psychologist Emma Parkland stumbles and falls onto the letter opener she’s carrying, stabbing herself in the chest, she realizes that waiting out the suicidal urge she woke up with last week is no longer an option. Desperate for answers, she consults her own personal psychologist, CouchGPT. Its diagnosis: a bizarre and little-known condition called Sudden Onset Suicidality (SOS), a progressive disease with a 94% fatality rate and no known cure.
If Emma can’t find a way to heal her SOS, she won't just lose her life—she’ll destroy the lives of everyone who depends on her. Like Gregory, owner of Out-of-the-Box Custom Coffins who attends her Mortal Wounds support group to cope with his debilitating fear of death. And her couples clients, Jenna and Alexander, whose marriage is buckling under the strain of Alexander’s ADHD and “little messes everywhere.”
Emma knows that a war with the unconscious is a losing battle, and she prays she can hold on long enough to crack the code of her SOS and heal her wounded psyche. What she doesn’t realize, though, is that the key to her recovery unlocks a secret that just might kill her.
A Half-Hearted Death Wish is a gripping, genre-bending novel that blends psychological suspense with surreal twists, weaving together emotional gravity and offbeat humor. With its unpredictable turns, endearing characters, and thought-provoking insights, it takes readers on a transformative journey—making it as unputdownable as it is unforgettable.
Praise for A Half-Hearted Death Wish
“Joy wastes no time plunging her heroine eyebrow-deep in peril in this striking fiction debut… Joy’s prose is excellent and her descriptions lush… as riveting and suspenseful as a horror movie.”
—BookLife by Publishers Weekly
“Witty, insightful, and full of heart—a story you’ll be thinking about long after you turn the last page.”
—Camille DeAngelis, author of the Alex Award–winning Bones & All
“[A] brave and surprising novel with disarmingly relatable characters grappling with the absurdities of life. It reminds us that for everyone, being human is a terribly humanising experience.”
—Evanna Lynch, actress and author
About Melanie Joy
Melanie Joy is an award-winning psychologist, bestselling author, and internationally recognized voice on the psychology of social transformation, relationships, and emotional resilience. She’s written seven nonfiction books, which have been published or contracted in 23 languages, and she’s the eighth recipient of the Ahimsa Award—previously given to the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela—for her work on global nonviolence. With her trademark blend of intellect, heart, and humor, she brings a fresh perspective to fiction in her new book, A Half-Hearted Death Wish—a bighearted, quirky, and thought-provoking debut novel. You can learn more about her at melaniejoy.org.