Reviews with content warning for Bullying - The Vanishing Half

“That was the thrill of youth, the idea that you could be anyone. That was what had captured her in the charm shop, all those years ago. Then adulthood came, your choices solidifying, and you realize that everything you are had been set in motion years before. The rest was aftermath.”

TITLE—The Vanishing Half

AUTHOR—Brit Bennett

PUBLISHED—2020

GENRE—literary, historical fiction

SETTING—the US in the 1960’s-1980’s

MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—so many dualities!; sisterhood, family & heritage; country life vs city life, poverty vs wealth; colorism, systemic racism & oppression; the effects of internalized racism/colorism on the psyches of Black folks; omg trans rep!; inherited trauma

WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

CHARACTERS—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

STORY/PLOT—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BONUS ELEMENT/S—Trans repppp 🥰🥰🥰 (no one told me!)

PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Her death hit in waves. Not a flood, but water lapping steadily at her ankles. You could drown in two inches of water. Maybe grief was the same.”

I’m late to this beloved book, I know. Sometimes it’s really tricky for me to know which current bestseller and highly and popularly touted book is going to be something that works for me but when I found this at a local library booksale I decided now was the time.

And yeah wow. I completely underestimated this book. 😅 In spite of its relative popularity I actually think it didn’t get as much attention as I feel like it deserved. Once again I feel like I’ve read a relatively recently published book that feels more like a piece of classic literature. The themes, the characters, the writing! it’s just all absolutely *exquisite* in this story.

“This big ol’ world and we only get to go through it once. The saddest thing there is, you ask me.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TW // colorism, domestic violence & abuse, lynching, bullying (Please feel free to DM me for more specifics!)

Further Reading—

The Mothers, by Brit Bennett—TBR
Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
Toni Morrison
Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi
Practical Magic, by Alice Hoffman

Content Warnings

faythfarrar's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

elisalasater's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

cptnstphy's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

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

The Vanishing Half was an interesting and nuanced exploration of racism/internalized racism, family ties (whether embraced or resisted), and distinguishing oneself from one's family. I enjoyed the multi-generational approach (Jude was my favourite character) and its adventurous qualities.

Content Warnings

avacate9's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

inkdrinkermal's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective slow-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

4.0

This felt like a more modern version of Passing by Nella Larsen with the plot of Stella passing as white and marrying and raising her daughter as white while Desiree raised her daughter as black, and East of Eden by John Steinbeck with the family saga spanning decades and state lines. I believe this is a modern classic, masterfully covering topics of race, color, gender-identity, and family. It was beautifully done.

I couldn't stand Stella though. Like, really, really, truly hated her. She was not redeemed by the end of the book and her selfishness was hard to read through (see how she treated Adele, Desiree, Loretta, Blake, AND Kennedy?! It was awful to read), so I dropped the rating a star. Having such a thoroughly unlikeable character with no redemption made the book more difficult to get through.

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