Without giving away the whole storyline - The Vanishing Half details the story of twins Desiree and Stella who live in a town which doesn't show up on the map.
The story intertwines both girls perspectives and later it brings in the tale from other members of the family.
Well written, the characters are richly described and at times I felt myself sympathising with one twin, only to read further and to find myself sympathising with the other twin.

This was an enjoyable book and I hope to read more of Brit Bennett's work.

Perhaps I am in a reading slump, but I really do not see the hype unfortunately!

That being said, this is by no means a rubbish book. The book is written beautifully. The downfall for me (and this is my own doing) is that I didn't realise it was so character driven, I was excited by the excellent storyline that I hadn't realised the storyline takes a massive backseat and this is, in fact, more of a character study as opposed to a book with a gripping storyline.

As I say, this book is wonderfully written and I certainly wouldn't not recommend it - I just don't quite understand the massive hype surrounding it.

This is truly a remarkable book. The story revolves around the lives of twin sisters born in a town of light-skin black people, and how their diverging experiences and trauma sent them in completely opposite directions.

Brit Bennett rights with such compassion and vivacity and I was compelled to read the stories of Desiree and Stella and find out what becomes of them in the end.

This book is an incredible study of identity, family, trauma and lost communication, that anyone who knows the complexity of family life can relate to.

Great great great book - really strong 4 stars from me!
So well written, this books sucks you in from a first chapter, I could not let it go! Finished it in 2 days.
This is my first Brit Bennett book that I have read, but will definitely not be my last.
This story is about belonging everywhere and nowhere at the same time, really shows us that we are the ones choosing our life path.

My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group U.K. - Dialogue Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Vanishing Half’ by Brit Bennett in exchange for an honest review.

As I realised quickly that this was a novel I was going to love, I obtained its audiobook edition, narrated by Shayna Small, and listened alongside reading the eARC.

This powerful novel opens in 1968 with the return of Desiree Vignes to her home town of Mallard, Louisiana fourteen years after she and her identical twin sister, Stella, had run away when they were sixteen. The community is shaken by the fact that Desiree arrived “holding the hand of a girl, eight or so, and black as tar.”

It is explained that Mallard is a small black community inhabited by light-skinned African Americans, who have strived for each successive generation to be lighter. Mallard was founded by Alphonse Decuir, whose father had once owned him. He had wanted to live in a “town for men like him, who would never be accepted as white but refused to be treated like Negroes. A third space.”

Desiree settles back into life in Mallard with her black daughter, Jude. We learn via flashbacks of the reason that Desiree had returned and also that when the twins were living in New Orleans Stella had made the decision to secretly pass as white and abandoned her sister. She now lives in California with her white husband, who knows nothing of her past. The same is true of her daughter, Kennedy.

Stella is always nervous that something in her behaviour will expose her. When a black family moves into the all-white gated neighbourhood where she now lives, it provokes a strong response. She is both drawn to befriend her new neighbour while seeking to protect herself, leading to an uncomfortable scene where Stella’s self-hatred comes to the fore as she lashes out.

Meanwhile, Desiree continues to feel a deep connection to her twin and seeks for news of her whereabouts. Years later as the next generation comes of age in the 1980s, their daughters’ lives intersect.

This is only the bare details as both daughters, Jude and Kennedy, have their own journeys and the narrative plays out against events in the USA during this period.

Within ‘The Vanishing Half’ Britt Bennett addresses many themes including colorism, racism, sexism, identity, and homophobia.

It’s beautifully written and Brit Bennett is a skilled storyteller. While the novel is grounded in literary realism, there is an aspect of Mallard that feels like it is from a fable. This is highlighted in the opening as Mallard is described as an idea and place that had become inseparable: “Colored people whispered about it, wondered about it. White people couldn’t believe it even existed.”

This is a novel that I would expect will prove an excellent choice for reading groups that are seeking serious literary novels with plenty of material for discussion and that are also accessible.

I would expect to see ‘The Vanishing Half’ in consideration for literary prizes, especially next year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction. I now plan to read Bennett’s previous novel, ‘The Mothers’, which was published in 2016 to wide critical acclaim.

Highly recommended.

This book was phenomenal! It’s for a reason that many popular magazines and bookish media keep mentioning «The Vanishing Half» by Britt Bennett as one of the most-anticipated releases of this summer. I literally saw a dozen of 2020 summer reading lists with this book.

It’s such an important book as well, especially with everything that is going on right now and the need that people feel to educate themselves on race and racial identity. I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to read it and discuss it with all of you.

1 - Racial identity. «The Vanishing Half» is not only a book about race, but racial identity does have the center stage in the story. We follow two twin sisters, Desiree and Stella Vignes who live in a small community called Mallard in Louisiana. The community who always strived to create “a more perfect Negro. Each generation lighter than the one before”. They felt the need to give up their identity in prol of a better future for their children who will no longer be black and will have more opportunities in their lives.

In this book, Brit Bennett explores the theme of racial identity and we are faced with many questions throughout the story - Does the color of your skin dictate which race you belong to? Or maybe society does it for you? Are you ready to give up your racial identity for a “better” future?
As someone who never had to go through this struggle, this book was truly eye-opening for me, and I really hope that more and more people will hear about it and read it because of the important subjects and views included in this story.

2 - Sexual identity. As I mentioned before, this book is not only about race. It explores so many different subjects and I loved how matter-of-fact they were presented. Reading this story was like looking into someone else’s life without any personal feelings from the author, and I really appreciate that. It gives us the possibility to come to our own conclusions and that’s the best thing about reading - that it makes us think, analyze, and create the base for new beliefs.

I really think that representation in «The Vanishing Half» was superbly done and would love to see what you, guys, think when you read it!

3 - The big “what if”. Brit Bennett solved this problem in a very clever way! She made her main characters twin sisters. So different from each other, they gave her the opportunity to explore two possible outcomes. What if they chose to escape their life and make a new one? What if they would have stayed in Mallard?

We saw the answers to both of these questions, as the sisters followed completely different routes, built completely opposite lives.

4 - Story that spans generations. This might be my favorite type of stories - the ones that let us explore future generations and the impact our choices have on them. In «The Vanishing Half» we also follow the daughters of Desiree and Stella Vignes. Even though they have never met their respective aunt, we still can see similarities in them which show the power of family bonds.

There are certain books that leave a great impact on us. The ones that will always come to mind and the stories that we will remember for many years to come. I believe «The Vanishing Half» is exactly that type of book!

What a remarkable book this was! Story about two twins who grew up in a black community in a small town in Louisiana, however decide to escape their past and build their life anew. Until one day, one of the sisters, Stella, decides to make her own way. They are split up and end up having opposite lives. Stella ends up living her life as a white woman while keeping her past a secret from her whole family. While the other sister, Desiree, moves back to the small town to live with her mother and work in a small diner. The story continues to talk about the respective sisters’s daughters, who end up meeting each other.

I found this book a captivating, happy, sad, heartbreaking..so I think I had all the feels. Until the end I still was struggling to understand Stella’s decisions and felt incredibly saddened that she needed to make these. Brit Bennett is a masterful storyteller. She was able to cover decades, different stories and characters in a way which was easy to follow for the reader and not easy to put down! It was incredible how she intertwined race into the story and how it affects individual lives.

Definitely one of the top books of the year for me and it will remain with me for a long time.

4.5 stars
Set in Mallard, Louisianna 1960's this is the story of identical twins, light skinned and African American. At sixteen they decide to run away and then one suddenly flee's splitting them up and forcing them on to lead singular but what become very different lives. Stella passes as a white woman & marries a white man, she enjoys the benefits of being a white person in LA and is determined that no one will ever find out the truth. Whilst Desiree stays true to her roots but marries a much darker man. Desiree is scared and flee's her abusive relationship to return home to her Mother and goes on to struggle financially whilst Stella is idolised and lives the life of the luxury.
Desiree constantly thinks about her sister whilst Stella doesn't seem to look back. Both have daughters whose paths eventually cross and they unravel a shocking story of how life can be so different because of the colour/perceived colour of your skin.
A very powerful thought provoking story of racism, class, love, identity, selfishness, acceptance, family and sexuality. It explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins which is always fascinating .
This book had me captivated from the beginning and didn't let me go until the end, I read nearly the whole book in one day. The characterisation was brilliant and the setting so atmospheric. For me personally the ending fell a bit flat for what was such a great story, I expected more which is only why this didn't get the full 5 stars.
A book I kept thinking about long after I had put it down. Very well written, I would highly recommend it.
My thanks go to the author, publisher and Netgalley in providing this arc in return for a honest review.

I’ve found another 5 star book! The Vanishing Half is a story about twin sisters who both run away at sixteen, before one twin runs from the other and their lives begin to diverge in very different directions – questioning family, identity and race.

I love family stories, especially centring siblings and this story was amazing. The characters were complex and felt whole, making choices that were often painful but made sense and made you feel along with the sisters. The story dealt with racism and colourism in way I had never had to think about before and raised questions in me that I had never thought of. I love books that make you think, reflect or learn along with the characters and Bennett did that so perfectly. It never felt heavy handed, the story presented complications, nuance and very real conversations on family and racial identity.

During the book I felt so attached to the sisters and their daughters that every time there was a POV change, or time jump for the first page I wished I could go back to the previous character but then I was drawn in again and again and just had to keep reading. The way the book is broken up into sections worked really well for me, and the way the time skipped back and forth always made sense and deepened and emphasised other parts of the plot. The entire book and the choices made within it felt purposeful and I adored it. Out today from Little Brown UK

Really excellent read with a massive scope and characters that prove nuanced, fascinating and strong throughout, I love the central idea of the sisters on divergent paths and the uneasy and unconventional family relationships that are explored. Has some genuinely original and hugely imaginative elements to really enjoy.

The Vanishing Half caught my attention a few weeks ago after reading some raving reviews and I requested it from Netgalley immediately. Not having read Brit Bennett’s previous book, I went in with no expectation but man, does this book live up to it’s high praise

Telling the stories of twin sisters, Stella and Desiree Vignes, brought up in a small town in 1960’s America where unusually, the community is almost entirely made up of light skinned black people. When the twins run away from their small town, and eventually separate, one will end up returning to the place she tried to escape while the other will pass herself off as white, living a life that otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to access but also living a lie

Wow. This book is amazing. There’s just so much to think about as it takes on issues of race, identity, gender, prejudice, belonging and so much more. It’s timely, insightful and thought provoking. The comparisons between the two sisters lives, and that of their daughters, are both shocking and heartbreaking

Brit Bennett’s writing is gorgeous. I couldn’t put this book down, becoming fully invested in not just Desiree and Stella’s lives, but their daughters Jude and Kennedy, two completely different girls who both feel the ripples of their mother’s choices. I read it over a couple of days and when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it and desperate to return. I can’t recommend this beautiful book enough, and I’ll certainly be picking up Brit’s previous book as soon as I can. A must read

THE VANISHING HALF is the story of the Vignes sisters - Stella and Desiree - identical twins from a small, Southern community exclusively inhabited by light-skinned Black people obsessed with their aesthetic proximity to whiteness. When the twins run away aged 16, they eventually split, with one disappearing to pass as white.

When I first read the premise of THE VANISHING HALF, my mind immediately raced to Clare and Irene of Nella Larsen's classic, PASSING. But while Larsen's Clare vivaciously flirts with the danger of passing, choosing the most racist white man she can find to confirm her facade of whiteness, Stella is bound by a terror of discovery that stains every strand of the fabric of the identity she assumes, prohibiting her from truly living.

Here, Bennet explores masquerade and hypocrisy, secrecy and betrayal, communal duty and individual freedom. Passing is survival but it's also rejection, a fact made all the more poignant when seen through the experience of twins. What's interesting here is that Bennett doesn't dwell solely on the fallacy of racial categorisation but instead uses the concept of passing and the set-up of the odd little town from which the twins hail (and to which one returns) to unfold a mediation on colorism.

With achingly poetic prose, Bennett's narrative takes us from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, painting transformations of deception and transitions of truly becoming (shout out to Reese). I loved the queer voices that were woven into this story, not as conflicts but matter-of-factly as part of the wider picture of Blackness Bennett paints.

Brit Bennett said YOU WILL WAIT FOR THIS BOOK BUT WHEN IT COMES YOU WILL LIVE! It's melodic, it's messy and it will thrive on discussion so I'm desperate to know everyone's thoughts! 👀☕

There were times I found this hard to read and the coincidences seemed to multiply, but the nuance and complexity kept me turning pages.

Bennett is so good at showing us a situation and making us feel a certain way, and then flipping it all on its head and making us reconsider.

There were so many great lines. There were many sad moments, but ultimately, I found this novel one of hope, and we can all use a little hope right now.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to read Brit Bennett’s second novel, The Vanishing Half, despite being underwhelmed by her debut, The Mothers, because I found the synopsis so intriguing. The Vanishing Half is about identical twin sisters Desiree and Stella, born into Mallard, a Louisiana town so small that it doesn’t feature on maps, and is distinguished by having an all-black population who pride themselves on having extremely light skin. Both sisters flee Mallard in adolescence for a more promising life in New Orleans, but Desiree returns in early adulthood with her small and ‘dark’ daughter, Jude, in tow, while Stella disappears into an entirely different life, passing as white, marrying a white man, and having her own daughter, Kennedy. Bennett arguably spends too much time setting this all up in the first quarter of the novel, which is pretty slow, but once it takes off, The Vanishing Half has some very interesting things to say about race. This is brought home most vividly in the chapters written from Stella’s point of view where she negotiates a friendship with a new black neighbour in her all-white neighbourhood; having accepted the social and economic privileges bestowed upon her by adopting a white identity, she now realises painfully how this excludes her from the friendship and trust of black women.

Similarly, when the two cousins eventually and inevitably meet, they have their own understandings of what race is and means: Kennedy declares that she isn’t black, while Jude insists that Kennedy is. Both cousins’ interpretations seem rational: Kennedy has been brought up as a white woman, with access to everything that would have been denied to her were she racialised as black, but at the same time, her grandfather was still lynched by white racists, and her mother’s decision has left her estranged from her own family history. Bennett’s aim is not to adjudicate this argument, but to draw attention to how constructed and yet how real the category of race is. Jude’s long-term relationship with a trans man, Reese, seems to be designed to explore this theme further, but here I felt the novel fell short: Bennett doesn’t say enough about Reese’s life or how he understands his identity for this thread to take off. Nevertheless, this is a strong second novel that takes Bennett’s highly readable writing to the next level. 3.5 stars.

Excellently written - what and introduction I've had to Brit Bennet!! I've become an instant fan.
The characters are well developed, the story lines are well thought out - this is a gripping, slow-burning novel which challenges racism and self-hatred but also gender and identity. Brit is a master who is not afraid to explore the hard questions and have the difficult conversations.

As a light skinned, passing biracial woman myself - Desiree and Stella felt familiar. I became attached to this story and to the character which Brit so carefully created. The POV switched so seamlessly, the flow through the book was not disturbed.

Everyone should read this book a couple of times!

I am grateful to NetGalley for the chance to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Brilliant. An interesting, memorable story. Stella and Desiree are twins who lead totally different lives. This is an intriguing and emotional read which kept me turning the page the whole way through.. I would definitely recommend this book. It is thought provoking and very current.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

The Vanishing Half tells the story of twin girls, born into a small black community in a Louisiana village in 1960s America. During the town's Founder's Day celebrations, the two girls disappear under the cover of night, arriving in New Orleans to seek a life of new opportunities. When one of the sisters passes as a white women, the twins lives separate into two entirely disparate paths – one of obligation, oppression and duty as a mother and carer, contracted with one of wealth and security through white privilege, but at what cost?

Themes in this book are many and varied, each treated with dutiful care and attention. Identity takes centre stage in a number of forms. 'Passing' and the subsequent discourse on race takes the spotlight as the twin girls and their daughters explore the importance and impact of their skin colour in the trajectories of their own lives. Black LGBTQ+ experiences are also given a voice, as are reflections on sisterhood and motherhood.

Bennett has crafted a family saga which is rich in narrative, profundity and impact. Each strand of story is given due exploration, delicately and deftly dismantling the lives and experiences of a family who's choices take them on journeys covering a multitude of experiences - all of which are in some way impacted, negatively or positively, by the colour of their skin. US social history and its injustices are laid bare, but the topic is handled with exceptional sensitivity and nuance. The interrogation of race - its purpose, its power, and its illusions - is thoughtprovoking and powerful, as is its fresh commentary on white privilige through the eyes and experiences of a black woman. We watch as Stella clings vehemently, sometimes shockingly, to what she owns, scared to lose that which she has earned only by being white.

My only minor disappointment with this book is that the ending felt rushed and a little unsatisfying in its conclusion to its many narratives streams. While I didn't need a neat or 'nice' ending, it somehow felt too abrupt and incomplete. That's not to say that I wasn't struck with emotion as the epic tale reached its end.

The Vanishing Half is a sensational and affecting story touching on many important issues and injustices still afflicting the US, and the greater world, today. Its power extends beyond its exceptional socio-cultural commentary, being a many-layered novel that also speaks more broadly on feelings of acceptance, identity and family crafted with a beautiful and enticing prose.

Last year I read The Mothers by Brit Bennett and completely fell in love with her writing. It was so exciting to hear that she had a second book coming out, and I am very grateful that I was able to read an advanced review copy from NetGalley.

The Vanishing Half is a multi-generational story told over a 40-year period about identical twins Desiree and Stella Vignes, who are so close they seem two halves of the same person. They grow up in a small Black community in Mallard, Louisiana, and at 16 runaway to New Orleans. More than 10 years later, Desiree returns to live in Mallard with her Black daughter. Stella had mysteriously disappeared while they were living in New Orleans, and now secretly passes for white, while hiding her past and true identify from her white husband and daughter. Though there lives have taken completely different paths, their stories remain intertwined.

In The Vanishing Half, Bennett gently and lovingly weaves a tale that discusses so many relevant issues including race and skin color, gender, and trauma, and how all of these and the events of the past shape a person. A thread that stood out to me was the overall discussion of identity, how we feel about our own identity versus how other people identify us, and what forms and influences our identity.

For example, the juxtaposition of Stella, who chooses to pass as white, and Reese, a trans male character. Stella takes on an identity because it feels safer to her, but also causes her to live in fear of discovery and doesn't feel true to herself, and also means she has to give up people she loves. For Reese, transitioning is about becoming himself. He says at one point that he was always him. What he changed was how he expressed himself and his outer identity in a way that was true to him.

The Vanishing Half is also extremely relevant to what is happening in the world right now. It takes a very compassionate look at the effects of racism, as well as colorism. Desiree's daughter, Jude, not only deals with racism, she is also bullied as a child in her hometown because of her dark skin. It causes her to have ongoing issues with feeling comfortable and confident in her own identity. The story also provides and excellent illustration of white privilege in play with Stella, her husband, and child.

Basically, there is just so much to this book, it is so layered and delicately woven, wish so much compassion. Even with Stella, who is not completely likable, she's still written as a sympathetic character.

Something I love about Bennett's writing, and it's true of both The Mothers and The Vanishing Half, is that is so filled with love. The Vanishing Half is exquisitely written with an interesting story and characters that are easy to get invested in.

Note: As a white woman there may have been some nuances that I missed. I'd very much encourage reading reviews and feedback from Black reviewers.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

This is an exceptional novel. The story of twins, Stella and Desiree who grow up in Mallard, home to a black community in the American South where lighter skin is idealize and coveted.

Stella and Desiree long to leave Mallard and together they set out on their quest for freedom, but ultimately choosing diverging paths. Desiree eventually heads back to Mallard with a daughter whose skin is as black as coal. Stella, light skinned enough to pass for white goes on to live a life full of the opportunities that come with white privilege.

The book flits across time frames spanning 30 years and does so effortlessly. It moves between characters and narratives as easily as turning your head. Brit Bennett masterfully weaves the strands together, painting the family portrait and bringing the whole picture into focus.

This is a beautiful and heartfelt book that deals with important issues. Issues of: identity, race, colourism, motherhood, sisterhood, sexuality, belonging as well as including a narrative focusing on transgender and LGBTQ+.

Brit Bennett has created a brilliant piece of storytelling that is emotional and insightful. An absolute must read!

Published in the UK on 11/06/2020. Thanks to @netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for my eARC.

What a book this is! Its such a captivating story- so interesting, so heartbreaking, so educating and so all consuming.

Set in Mallard, a small Townsville, not too far from New Orleans, where it’s founder established this town for ‘men like him, who would never be accepted as white, but refused to be treated like Negroes’.
Desiree and Stella Vignes are twin ‘light-skinned’ beautiful girls, descendants from the founder, living with their hardworking mother, but having seen a terrible incident when they were young, know however they look, they will always be seen as inferior to white people around them.
Unexpectedly, the twins decide to leave, looking for a better way of life and telling no one. What ensues is a story, where two different paths are taken- one decides to live a life as passing for white and the other refuses to, the repercussions of both choices, not only affecting them but also their offspring.

I have to say, I loved this book. It’s written so well and I learned from it how hard it must be to try and live a life that is not your own. Each of the characters involved has to deal with issues that are so relevant today, even though parts of this books are set from the 1950s onwards. White society and prejudice has made lives for others unbearable and yet strength is throughout every inch of this novel. Each character bares their own cross and I loved every word of this author’s writing.
A really captivating novel and so worth the read.