Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - The Vanishing Half

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The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

616 reviews

midnightreads1803's review against another edition

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emotional 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

3.5

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caitlinjfinlay's review against another edition

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reflective slow-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

3.0

I feel like this book tried to cover too many important topics without entering into any one of them with any great detail. I found the details surrounding Reese’s identity and Barry’s sexuality a bit fuzzy, and was left wanting more of an exploration into Stella’s psyche. I feel Desiree’s character was a bit neglected by the author; I would’ve liked to have known how her separation from Stella impacted her. We don’t find out what Kennedy’s discovery about her racial identity means to her, or whether it means anything at all. I found this book dragged and I was waiting for a big reveal or plot twist that never arrived. That said it does cover some important themes - racism, colourism, domestic violence, transgenderism - and poignantly so, hence 3 stars for that. I was just left wanting a bit more.

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ashely_56's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

I choose to read this story for black history month, and this story takes you on an emotional journey as guides you through intergenerational African American search for identity and how severing one connection to their past and identity can lead to them feeling lost and alone.

It demonstrates how whiteness is purely a creation of perspective. Yet it proves how deadly and cruel that perspective is.

Stella makes a choice and she has to live with the consequences of that choose everyday.

While climax of the story was a quieter storm than I anticipated it didn't make it any less impact full or the grief less palpable.

The story does not end as neatly or with the amount of closure most readers like myself were hoping for. However that is more reflective of real life, our complicated relationship often don't end with the right amount of closure we need and we end of living with that grief.

This story is one of how each women lives with her grief and how that impacts their relationships with other.

This book is definitely a new favorite.

It felt like it took quite a while for the story to get started, but once it did it was outstanding and gripping!

Overall an impressive and impact read for Black History Month.

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mj_86's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.0

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remindmetoread's review against another edition

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medium-paced

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

3.0

I found this book captivating. I think the author managed to really bring a story to life and there were a lot of parts in it that I adored. I definitely recommend it as good read and stimulating family story. I found this book to be great with pacing, but toward the ending I felt the author was clearly trying to wrap up the story in a nice bow and the bow was pretty but the wrapping paper was a little ripped. I enjoyed the 3rd person perspective of this book, it was just the time jumping that was a tad confusing. And there were parts where she tells you the future and I just felt that was an unnecessary interjection. I would have preferred an epilogue to these one off sentences that were forgettable. One thing I feel was missing was a conversation about the twins hair. I feel as Black women, our hair is a big deal and although they're white passing Black girls, I couldn't imagine the twins with bone straight hair. And the entire book I was curious of how Stella styles her hair with no mention of hot tools or chemical straighteners. No awkward trip to a white salon. Just perfect assimilation. I don't recall the author saying much besides long hair so I left it up to my imagination. This book did a great job of the racism and colorism of the time periods. Even the brief interracial dating was spot on. And I liked how the book title relates to multiple vanishing halves in this book. Of course the twins are the most obvious but you spot more throughout the book, which I felt were beautiful themes to notice. And the most beautiful of them all was the Character, Reese. I love Reese so much. He deserves nothing but the world. Seeing him through the 3rd person perspective of Jude were my favorite parts. I don't have much else to say without giving away major parts of the story but Stella and Jude's arcs were also the most satisfying to me. We saw the major point of views of 5 characters, the twins, the daughters, and a character named Early. Stella's daughter didn't get much love in this book. I felt so sorry for her. It was honestly a perspective that deserved a lot more attention than it got. I felt she was lost and I felt lost for her as well. Another vanishing half.

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