Cover Image: The Vanishing Half

The Vanishing Half

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Member Reviews

4.1 - engrossing; although the story jumped around in time somewhat, the author was pretty clear about what was happening when (although there were a few lapses)

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Leave your racial identity and bias at the door as you look at the lives of two women, the Vignes identical twins born into the unusual legacy of the unmapped Mallard, a southern town populated by African-American people who pride theirselves on the fairness of their complexion, a community where pigmentation of the skin creates barriers within and without ethnic and racial strata. One of the sisters defies barriers by marrying a dark pigmented and violent man, and the other by figuring out that they could pass as white and living a life based upon the denial of their race. Both lives are tethered to the town of Mallard and examined through the lives of their daughters, one described as dark as coal trying to survive despite the bias of Mallard, and one blonde haired and blue eyed who has never questioned her racial identity as a Caucasian. Those daughters eventually discover each other and challenge the beliefs of their mothers as well as the cultures they were raised in. Bennett weaves the four lives, mothers and daughters, with tremendous sensitivity to the implications of racial identity and its impact on the lives of the two generations of women. Bennett leaves us on our own to discover these implications through the lives of these women, offering insight of race so important to our times. One of my most memorable reads of the year.

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This was a great book, but I was disappointed by the stereotypical trans representation. Reese felt more like a plot device to mirror Stella's "passing" than a character in his own right.

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Desiree and Stella are identical twins. They are deeply connected and almost always together, until Stella takes a chance to make a new life for herself passing as White. Stella moves away without a word. Desiree moves forward, but always missing her sister. This is a moving story of family, truth, identity, and the impact of race and skin color.

I found the transitions between different time periods a bit confusing and the first half of the book rather slow. However, the ideas and themes are wonderful. The characters are interesting and individually developed. This will make a good book club book.

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Twin sisters grow up in a southern Black community so small it isn't even marked on the map. One day they run away to the city, each creating a separate life for herself. One eventually moves home with her daughter, while the other decides to pass for white, marrying a white man and moving into an affluent suburb on the West Coast. Over the years one sister searches for her twin while the other one hides, terrified of being discovered. When their daughters happen to meet, a decade of lies finally begins to unravel.

Brit Bennett's incredible story of family, secrets, and the consequences of passing is powerful and layered in rich detail. I couldn't put this book down, reading it in one sitting. She builds a cast of complicated characters whose lives cross over the course of twenty-plus years, using their interactions to explore their identities, decisions, and motivations. This is a must-read book. I look forward to picking up Bennett's other book, The Mothers, as well as her future work.

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I was really invested in the stories of these sisters, and the cousins who are their daughters, even though I liked them as people to vastly different degrees. The fact that I found the characters I liked and the ones I really didn't equally compelling to watch is, to me, great storytelling. This was both a small story about individual lives and familial relationships, and a larger story about the cultural context that makes those lives and those relationships so fraught. The book begins and ends as a story all about contrasts, on multiple levels.

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Just trying to clear my Netgalley shelf of older content that I read but forgot to or didn't rate/review. Absolutely stunning read.

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Stella and Desiree Vignes, twin girls, grew up in Mallard, LA where their light skin was greatly revered. Unfortunately, this did not equate to an easy life. After being forced to leave high school early to help support their mother, the twins run away to New Orleans to make a new life for themselves. However, despite their identical appearance, they both have different dreams for what this new life will look like. Stella disappears one day and goes on to live as a white woman without anyone around her being the wiser, especially her husband and daughter. Desiree is left shattered in Stella's vanishing, ending up with a daughter, and an abusive husband. After fleeing, she ends up back in elitist Mallard with her dark-skinned girl. Years pass as they lead starkly different lives until one day when their daughter's world collide.
Bennett has masterfully woven multiple storylines through generations. The book brings forth, not only the disturbing racist behaviors of whites, but also the self-hatred and racism that occurs in the black community. It adds another layer by including a transsexual character which brings in an additional intersection into the story. I found this book sad for the upsetting realities the characters experience, but respect the author for not giving into to the traditional story arch where everything works out in the end.
#TheVanishingHalf #NetGalley

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This novel has four perspectives in one story, touching on three generations of a family. The novel contains many themes including racism, colorism, classism, and identity. The plot moves from present to near past to family history. The connection between twin sisters, their daughters, and their personal relationships has many melancholy moments, but hopefulness is seen, too.
3.5

Trigger warnings: includes physical abuse, sexual assault, bullying, drug use

This review is based on the audiobook of the published title. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-galley. My reviews and ratings are my own.

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An important, introspective, look at the importance of family and the complexities of race and racial identity.

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https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2020/0610/The-Vanishing-Half-is-a-compelling-novel-on-race-and-home

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This is an amazing book!. Brit Bennett brings the characters to life and you truly become invested from the beginning. The story is told through multiple POV that spans over four decades. This is a page turner and must read. Great for book clubs.

If you loved this book, you should watch the 1950’s movie Imitation of Life with Lana Turner.

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My book club read this book and we were unanimous-it was perfect! The idea of a Black woman (Stella) passing herself off as white gave us much to discuss and begged the question-was her life really better than that of her twin sister Desiree, who chose to remain true to who she was?

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Bennett has created an amazing narrative here that is totally engrossing, covers multiple generations, and takes up the question of passing from both sides - showing both why Stella would have done it and the emotional toll it takes on her and the entire family. Bennett also reminds us what's at stake and why Stella feels trapped through the story of a black family who moves into the rich, white subdivision she lives in and encounters hostility from the entire community.

This novel starts out with echoes of Morrison's *Sula,* but it takes a very different turn after the twins leave Mallard. The story has many layers with doubles all over the place and is a heartbreaking account of disconnection rooted in Stella's decision to pass as white. I think this is going to stick with me for a while.

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A strong novel that deals with issues of race, class, and gender. The story revolves around twin sisters Stella and Desiree Vignes. After running away from their small, southern Black community at a young age, the twins eventually go their separate ways - Desiree back to Mallard and Stella passing for white with her new white husband who is none the wiser. When their daughters meet serendipitously, both generations are confronted with questions of family and identity. Bennet juggles a lot of characters which does leave you wanting more at times, but overall, I highly recommend this novel. There is so much to think about and discuss. Perfect for book clubs!

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What a gift of a book! One of my favorite novels of 2020, hands down. A great sibling/family story (one of my favorite genres) about race, identity, and the relationship between past and present.

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Thanks to Netgalley and Riverhead Books for giving me the advanced reader copy even though the book has been out for many months. It’s a bit tough to say anything new about it given the sheer number of reviews currently out there. I will say that it was not what I was expecting at all. I only read the short summary and not any reviews before picking it up, so I was expecting it to be all about these twins living separate lives. I’d say it was almost more about their daughters than themselves. I appreciated the multiple perspectives from lots of different people. The book was completely engrossing until the end, when it just... ended. I find it difficult to handle resolutionless novels, so I’m giving it 4 stars.

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I can only imagine the amazing movie this book could make. Hard to imagine this life and the consequences of having to choose what skin color you have. Brilliant writing, believable dialogue, dynamic story!

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Riveting and informative. Study of Black and White in small town America. Two sisters have completely different experiences due to being different in skin tone and the story that is woven from that is stunning. Wonderfully written.

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Ranging from the 1950s to the 1990s, this book explores the relationship of twins, Stella and Desiree, separated in young adulthood and how their lives intertwine in unforeseen ways. Brit Bennett tackles race and the concept of passing as white in an intricate and gripping way.
I could not put this down and am mad at myself for how long it took me to pick it up! I enjoyed the characterization of the two sisters as well as their daughters. Each woman is flawed, aimed at self-preservation and self-actualization. Bennett explores the complexities of relationships--romantic, familial bonds, sibling, mother-daughter, husband-wife--so astutely, I found myself sympathizing with each character even through the frustrations and lies. Beautifully written, visceral, and utterly engrossing.

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