Brit Bennett's second novel is the story of family and race across two generations. The Vignes sisters are identical twins. They grew up in an African-American town in the Deep South, but ran away at 16 to start new lives together. Ten years later, one sister is back in their home town with their daughter, the other is passing as white, living a life where no one knows her racial identity. But their lives are still linked and fate will bring them together again.

I got a copy of this book from NetGalley - but I enjoyed it so much I've brought myself a (signed) copy of the hardback as well. It's just wonderful. I really enjoyed The Mothers, but I loved this. The sister's stories, and their daughter's stories and the portrait it paints of forty years in the lives of one family and how destinies can divide and converge. There are some scenes that are hard to read - particularly the racial violence that the twins witness as children - but although that shapes the girls, the novel is not just about that. It's just brilliant. And the language is so wonderful - it absolutely conjures the variety of settings and times it features. And I loved the structure too - slowly revealing more and more of the stories of the women as it jumps around in time. Gorgeous.

“The only difference between lying and acting was whether your audience was in on it, but it was all a performance just the same.” Brit Bennett

Identical twin sisters Desiree and Stella Vignes grow up in a small, southern black community and aged 16 they decide to run away and start afresh in New Orleans. Ten years later everything is different- their families, their communities and also their racial identities. One twin has returned to the same southern town that she'd once escaped with her black daughter, and the other twin secretly passes for white- and her husband has no idea of her background.

Bennett weaves together multiple strands and generations of this family from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s. The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the reasons in which people may feel pulled to live as something other than their origins. It's a story about love, family, mothers and daughters, and how race shapes individuals' lives. 5/5

Absolutely loved this. A beautifully written story exploring sisterhood, race relations, prejudice and American culture over a number of decades and generations. Highly recommend.

An absolutely incredible book- I was completely blown away by this. The author writes so beautifully about such complex issues with a fully fleshed out cast of characters. Could not recommend it highly enough!

I really appreciated the shifting about of timescale in this book and the pace of writing remained the same throughout so no sudden rush of events to close up as sometimes happens. The characters were interesting but not always likeable (Early being the exception) and there were some sections of the book I found more gripping than others. My overall feeling by the end was one of sadness that racism isn’t just confined to white on blacks. It too’ the enjoyment out of the book for me and in these important Black Lives Matter times left me disappointed.

A very of the moment read, The Vanishing Half is a superbly written novel based on the lives of the Vignes twin sisters and their daughters. Their lives take on very different journeys. A thought provoking look at race, identity and family, a must read.

A fascinating and very topical subject. A domestic drama starting with the story of twin girls born in a 'coloured' village with a difference in Louisiana. The twins run away for a more exciting life and go very different directions. Spanning different generations this is a gripping, sad, heart warming and heart wrenching story. A great read.

It seems like half the world is reading this book at the moment, so we all probably know that it's a book about two very light-skinned (and wavy-haired) Black sisters whose lives divide when one chooses to live as if she were white - "passing over" as it's called in the book. I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down; although it was obviously written before the massive surge in reading of BIPOC people's lives, it has a timeliness about it and the differences between Black and non-Black experiences that serve as useful education. However, I have read numerous comments about it being important to still read books for their literary or entertainment value, rather than just because they teach us some kind of po-faced lesson, and this book certainly ticks those boxes, too - I couldn't put it down towards the end and sat up late again to get it finished.

Full review over at my blog:

https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2020/06/19/book-review-brit-bennett-the-vanishing-half/

Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half is a powerful portrayal of family, self-identity, and relationships. The story alternates between the voices of Stella and Desiree, and their children Jude and Kennedy.

Although they are a black family, Stella and Desiree don't look like their counterparts. Their fair skin places them on the cusp of something undefinable, something that they struggle to define. This story is about that struggle.

What does it really mean to be black? What does it mean to be black with white skin? The answers are definitely not black and white.

Stella embraces the colour of her skin and all the privileges that come with it. So much, that she turns her back on her family including her beloved sister.

"What made her so easy to give away?" wonders Desiree.

Perhaps, it was the feeling of freedom that Stella feels when she breezes into a store and nobody stares at her. Maybe, it's the life of comfort, and a husband who loves her for what he thinks she is.

But is Stella really free? I don't think so. She leads her life in constant fear of being discovered. Not just by her neighbours but even her own husband and child.

Bennett's writing shines and is a joy to read. However, towards the end I felt the plot sag, which left the words feeling slightly forced. It began to meander and I feel the novel could have been easily a few pages shorter. The sudden interspersing of the future felt completely out of place. Telling me, "Later, Reese would tell her that the blue eyeshadow was the first thing he noticed about her," in the middle of something that's happening right now only threw me off balance each time.

Despite these quibbles I found The Vanishing Half quite a riveting read for the most parts.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I'll be honest I was disappointed by the book. Yes the writing is good and the premise interesting but I thought that the characters and their motivations were flimsy and I hated the end.

B O O K R E V I Plot: the plot seems a simple enough premise when you read the synopsis: 2 twins separating and living different lives, but then taking into account their race and their ‘chosen’ race, it really holds a mirror up to the way attitudes were and still are, solely based on your skin colour.
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Places: Mallard is a strange and intriguing place and to me seems like a metaphor again for how white supremacy has influenced people’s attitudes and beliefs toward people based on their skin colour, & even those belonging to people of colour who are lighter skinned and ‘white passing’. It makes me think of Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri, in which she discusses how the texture of your hair can define whether you’re ‘black’ even between people of colour because of the way White supremacy through white colonialism conditioned us to think that ‘kinky’, ‘textured’, ‘natural’ and not ‘smooth’ or ‘straight’ is the beauty norm. And similar to Rainbow Milk in which Jesses mum refers to him as ‘too black’.
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People: I always think that twins are interesting so loved this idea and think Desiree and Stella are fantastic, 3D characters. I loved the secondary characters, it really added so much to the story & I love the way that this feels like an observational, empathetic study through a family’s generations.
In my nerdy, scientific way, Stella & Desiree are like each other’s ‘control group’ and they show just how much prejudice changes your life. The way they’re written to balance each other out in terms of differing personalities is also mirrored in the way they live ‘opposite’ lives with regards to race & this really is such a fantastic and clever way to observe the way that attitudes towards skin colour are baseless, pointed out brilliantly by a quote from Stella: ‘she felt queasy at how simple it was. All there was to being white was acting like you were’. And doesn’t that say so much?

Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is story about twin black girls, identical in looks, but passing for white, one decides to live out her life this way. Touching both on racism and colourism, this both about identity and what defines it managed to be both thought provoking and an engrossing page-tuner.

I liked how the story was developed as snippets from specific time periods and key milestone moments in the characters lives.

Brit Bennett has shown us she is not a one hit wonder, And I look forward to reading more of her work in the years to come.

This was a story that I’m so pleased I had the opportunity to read thanks to the publishers and NetGalley, and I can’t wait to see what others make of it.
Desiree and Stella Vignes are twins, and the main focus of our story. When they were little they witnessed their father dragged from his home by white men and killed. They live in a small town called Mallard that cannot be found on any map, where anyone with dark skin is looked down upon. Is it any wonder that after such a beginning they might not feel comfortable here?
The girls leave Mallard for a new life. Together, they feel they can take on anything, no matter how difficult it gets. Illegal work in a laundry and sleeping on a friend’s floor is not ideal, but they’re managing. Then one day Desiree comes home to discover Stella has gone.
Our story is told through the viewpoints of a number of characters (Desiree, Stella, and their respective daughters) and piece by piece we establish what each has done and how their early life has set up their present. From Desiree escaping an abusive marriage to return home with her dark-skinned daughter, to Stella living in constant fear that she will be found out for passing as white for so long. We watch Jude leave the racist taunts for a new life in California where she finds love with Reese, a man facing his own battles, and we follow Kennedy as she tries to find herself and come to terms with the truths she learns about her mother.
We are set in a changing world where race and attitudes to it remain something to examine. There were so many painful stories, and though I understood the choices Stella made it still felt unbearably hard that she should feel that was necessary.
The main characters of the twins had a complex relationship, but it was their daughters who I found fascinating. In these two girls there were signs of shifting attitudes on a number of subjects, and their stubborn refusal to ignore each other gave an indication that family connections run deeper than we might think.

One of the best books I've read this year.

It starts with a brilliant hook – twins sisters ran away from home more than 10 years ago, and finally one is returning to their tiny town. It is immediately intriguing, and whilst the hook pulls you in, the incredible characterisation and beautiful writing make you stay.

Britt Bennett brings each character to life, building us a world through their eyes and giving them a voice we cannot get enough of – the secondary characters just as much as the protagonists. She interweaves issues of race and identity, community, a sense of belonging and family ties flawlessly through the entire novel with several twists that cannot be predicted. A few times I couldn't resist flicking back through previous chapters to reread bits, desperate to see how I didn't pick up on the clever links that are later revealed.

I will be reading more of her work now and recommending this to everyone!

The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities, their lives splitting like their shared egg.

This time lapsed family saga is written with such truth and beauty you feel like you are part of the events as they happen. The echo of the twins similarities and differences can be seen as we move into the futures of their own daughters and the intersection of their lives again.

Desiree finds herself married to the darkest man she could find, in an abusive relationship and worried for the safety of herself and her daughter, finding herself back home with an old life, old love and subjecting her daughter to a far worse fate than she ever experienced while growing up their due to the colour of her skin.

Stella chose the path less travelled, after meeting her husband at work she begins a life with him which has no exposure to the past. Of course the risk is always there however, with some strategic moves she manages to avoid Desiree in her attempts later in life to find her, until she can no longer avoid the past and must face her truth.

Jude has darker skin than the rest of her family and all of the intelligence of her long lost auntie but her story takes it's own path. A secretive romance with someone ashamed to be with her, an opportunity to be more than what people thought she could and a poignant and heart warming relationship with her partner Reese and a desire to be true to herself and her family. When her life intersects with her cousin Kennedy, her polar opposite in so many ways Jude begins to wonder what her missing family may be like and through their at times faultering friendship will they both finally get the answers they seek?

I would like to thank NetGalley and Dialogue Books for the opportunity to read this title for a true and honest review, I cannot shout about this title enough. Stunning writing involving absorbing characters and relatable issues of old and new intertwined Brit Bennett is now an author I will continue to read through the duration of her career. With the current climate, this voice is essential reading and pure pleasure from start to finish.

I loved this book - not just the stories of Desiree and Stella, but of Jude and Reese which is presented sensitively and without melodrama. A beautiful book from start to finish.

A review of this book featured in The Bert's Books podcast on 14th June 2020

Beautifully written, lucid and moving, with a gracefully handled branching structure that maps the way bloodlines and boundaries blur and tangle. I loved Reese, and thought Bennett's treatment of him was sensitive and lovely.

I've always been fascinated by stories of self-reinvention: the way someone can simply walk out of their life and create an entirely new one somewhere else. Maybe I'm so drawn to these tales because they so dramatically and dynamically consider the meaning of identity. Which aspects of the self are fixed and which are fluid? Is personality a performance or an expression of who we inherently are as human beings? Can we change who we are through sheer willpower and if we lie about who we are enough does it eventually become the truth? These are questions at the heart of Brit Bennett's new novel “The Vanishing Half” whose utterly compelling story considers many different types of dualities and personal transformations. It's also a heartrending tale of a family split apart by inherited notions of classism and racism.

Twins Stella and Desiree Vignes ran away from their small Louisiana town of Mallard in the 1950s when they were teenagers and went on to live very different lives. Mallard isn't a large enough place to be included on any map. Its citizens are primarily made up of light-skinned African Americans who still suffer the brutal effects of racism while simultaneously looking down at darker-skinned black people. This is the sort of community so powerfully described in Margo Jefferson's memoir “Negroland”. Over ten years after abruptly leaving the town, Desiree returns with a daughter who has very dark skin and the locals are appalled by what they consider to be her diminution of status because they believe “Once you mixed with common blood, you were common forever.”

Although Desiree makes a new life for herself by returning to her hometown, Stella remains conspicuously absent and cannot be found even by Desiree's compassionate new partner Early whose profession is locating lost people. Once she left her place of birth and everyone she ever knew Stella choses to pretend she is white because she finds “All there was to being white was acting like you were.” But this means she must completely hide her past and never contact her family again. As time goes on, she becomes increasingly anxious that her secret will be revealed and her caginess emotionally distances her from the people she should be closest to. Over the course of a few decades the twins' different stories unfold as their daughters eventually insist on knowing more about the truth of their origins than either Stella or Desiree are willing to disclose.

Although the twins are the catalyst for this engrossing story many of the additional characters also grapple with different transformations of identity. Desiree's daughter Jude becomes extremely self-conscious about her skin colour early in life and goes through laborious processes to try to lighten it early on. Her feelings of isolation are powerfully described: “You could never quite get used to loneliness; every time she thought she had, she sank further into it.” Stella's daughter Kennedy becomes an actress with mediocre success and craves attention from the audience even though she realises it is “Strange that the greatest compliment an actress could receive was that she had disappeared into somebody else.” This contrasts sharply with the life of her mother who is trapped in the pretence of acting white and tragically feels that “she was living a performance where there could be no audience.”

Jude befriends a man named Barry who secretly performs as a drag queen a couple of nights a week. He feels his drag act is a hidden but necessary part of his life and that it is possible to sustain this duality because “You could live a life this way, split. As long as you knew who was in charge.” Jude also becomes romantically involved with a trans man named Reese and it's so powerful how Bennett describes his struggle at that time in the 1980s to obtain corrective drugs and surgery. The enormous challenge and expense associated with such treatments is made evident and it's moving how his journey is detailed alongside his tender relationship with Jude. When Jude wonders aloud at one point if Reese would have loved her before he changed his name, Reese definitively replies “I was always me.” This is such an impactful and validating statement.

All of these fully-rounded and complex characters come together to form a dynamic portrait of our uneasy and constantly evolving sense of identity. The story also makes a strong statement about American life and the way a tradition of discrimination regarding class, gender and race in the US leads to such painful personal strife and divisions in families. It causes individuals to distort and conceal who they really are in some instances or struggle against unnecessary adversity to express and realise their true sense of being in others. Bennett has written a richly-rewarding and compassionate story that intelligently dramatises these issues while creating many unique and memorable characters I grew to love.

Desiree and Stella Vignes, most known as the Vignes twins in their hometown Mallard —where not-that-coloured people lives— decide to escape to live a new life. They head off to New Orleans, where they live for some time before one of them mysteriously disappear.

In a story narrated from a lot of different point of views, Brit Bennett tells us the story of the Vignes twins and not only their sudden disappearance but the equally sudden return of one of them to the house of their mother... more than 10 years later. With a Black child.

This novel goes through a lot of issues we see actually as gender, race, among other equally important —though based in a span of forty years from 1954. Bennett did an amazing work by intertwining all those problems that affect our society that well. It made me sympathize with every character, even with Stella though she was mean to her sister and mother by leave them behind as well as her whole past.

I’m marvelled by the love I felt in the writing, definitely it was worth the reading.

I had not read Brit Bennetts previous success, 'The Mothers' and so had no idea what to expect for The Vanishing Half. I was glad I went into reading this with no expectations because I was blowwwwwn away! Brit's writing style is so easy to follow. I couldn't put this book down as soon as I picked it up.

The Characters are complex- and messy (in a good way). You can imagine them living their lives, their actions, their way of thinking. I had never heard of the term 'passing' before. Even though at times I was furious with Stella for abandoning her family, and her racist attitudes, I can totally see why she acts like she does. Once you have lied for so long, the greater the fear that people discover that you are a liar and the more you have to loose. The introduction of a transsexual character adds another layer and is difficult to do, I think Brit accomplishes this very well, especially with the research done on the steroids etc. Although a whole book could be about Reese it is hard to remember sometimes that the book is about the twins!

The narrative spans over 2 generations from the 60s-80s (maybe slightly over) and you find that although the world appears to be more 'colourful' (even Kennedy gets a Black boyfriend- but it is unclear whether she does this to anger her mother), the old prejudices are still in the background of everyday life. Although here is more integration you can still see a lot of the problems that even exist in todays society.

This book captivated me, I found it funny in parts, aggravating in others, and I even cried slightly at one scene. It produced so many feelings. Although people will say this book is 'timely' because of what has been happening in the news, I really think it is 'timeless'. It reflects the views and opinions of a lot of people and it is a fantastic story. Thank you Netgalley for letting me read it! I've decided to buy my own copy and I've also added her other novel, The Mothers to my wish list!