Reviews with content warning for Dementia - The Vanishing Half

I might return to this one to read again, and to re-evaluate my rating. So much to think about. The character development was amazing, nothing short of spectacular. I often find it so hard to follow and stay engaged with novels that span generations, because I get too attached to one character/generation's story arc, and then end up skimming the sections not relevant to that character/arc. This book was NOT that. By the time we got to Stella's perspective and the focus on her life, I was itching to learn more about what motivated her

to up and leave, especially after Desiree was the one who originally motivated her to leave.

This book really challenged my perceptions of race in the US, especially in recent history. I wasn't "shocked" by the segregation that pervaded into the later portions of the novel, but I did have to keep reminding myself that it was set in the 80s at that point, and even earlier in the book it was only the late 50s/early 60s. That's like, when my mom was born. It also gave me pause to consider that, yes, we're 40 years down the line from the 80s, but how much has changed? I was particularly struck by the introduction of Stella's portion of the story when the main plot point is that the neighborhood association is scandalized by a Black family moving in, and people were saying how it would "drop property value" and they "wouldn't be wanted, so why would they move in anyways?". I just know that there are still neighborhood association meetings today that play out following the exact same script.

I'm particularly moved by Stella's chosen life in passing. I think I expected so much more fear to bleed through in her part of the story, but was equally moved by how nonchalantly it seemed to be discussed. Like, don't get me wrong, I definitely felt some fear in her perspective, but the fear was less of the "I'll be found out and killed" that I expected and more of a "everything I've built and worked hard for, even though no one knows I've worked hard for it, will be destroyed". I'm not sure why, but this difference in the perceived motivation of the fear made it all the more striking to read for me. I also think the author did an amazing job of writing Kennedy's perspective. I felt bad for her, for so many reasons (not knowing half of her identity, being lied to all her life, and having to lie for the rest of it as well...), but I also felt jealous of her/mad at her on behalf of Jude, who didn't seem to feel either of those emotions toward her cousin. It's really interesting to me that, as a White reader, I was feeling these negative emotions towards the perceived White character in the book, even though the Black character didn't display these emotions; so, these emotions were coming entirely from within myself, which leads me to believe they come from my own internal biases. Definitely something to make a personal note of and evaluate, but also writing it here to hold myself accountable.

My one gripe is that I wish there was more resolution to the Stella/Kennedy storyline. I felt like this was left very much an unknown, and would have loved to see even a tiny bit of Kennedy's coming to terms with her mother's (and her own) background. But, maybe this is my Whiteness wanting more resolution to the perceived White storyline, and maybe that's the whole point of leaving this storyline up in the air; that's not what the author wanted to focus on. All in all, a great novel that really challenged my thinking.

Content Warnings

clairew97's review against another edition

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3.5

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sperigo's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

God, this book was incredible. Brit Bennett is a fantastic writer. She writes gorgeous prose, and the most compelling, well developed characters. This books follows an ensemble cast of family members, each with lives radically different from each other, as they find themselves and then eventually grapple with whether or not they want to find one another.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a novel longer than 300 pages, yet I couldn’t put this one down.

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laurenmaria422's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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michaelion's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Trying to find reasons not to give this 5 stars is very, very hard. I'm biased because immediately it reminded me of Toni Morrison's Paradise. Whether or not that was intentional, I'm not gonna look it up, but I love it even more for that.

Passing is a thing that happened and I'm sure there are still many, many quadroons and hexadecaroons walking around without a clue. I've always felt sympathy for the people who passed, and this book definitely gave me a new / another understanding. (I mean, who can be mad at you for wanting better for your life and your family?) To be moved so much by a book show just how good it is. That being said though I do not feel sympathy for Stella!

After what she did to Loretta and Reg?!

This one's definitely staying on my bookshelf.

Content Warnings

cakrolik's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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