Reviews with content warning for Rape - The Vanishing Half

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Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

71 reviews

greymalkin's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Well written with complicated characters. Most of the characters weren't very likeable for me which made it hard to love this book, but their lives were still fascinating enough to propel me along as a reader. The first half was slower, but the second half picked up with a lot more forward motion for the characters.

The themes of the book (finding oneself, feeling like half a person, lying to those you love, abuse of many types, the painful emptiness of missing someone or something) added a downbeat melancholy that was a little bit. However, I am very happy about the inclusion of Reese's character. I kept worrying that it was going to be a "bury your gays" horrible twist, but happily that was not the case. I love that he and Jude were allowed to be happy and romantic and openly loving and weren't punished for it.

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tildakoussa's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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katsbooks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious tense 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

"You could drown in two inches of water. Maybe grief was the same.”

“She hadn't realized how long it takes to become somebody else, or how lonely it can be living in a world not meant for you.”

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

“A body could be labeled but a person couldn’t, and the difference between the two depended on that muscle in your chest. That beloved organ, not sentient, not aware, not feeling, just pumping along, keeping you alive.”

I have so many feelings about this book. I don't know if I feel confident in articulating them. This book followed the lives of twins Desiree and Stella and their respective daughters, Jude and Kennedy. They are raised in the town of Mallard, a town for light-skinned "colored" people. When they get older, they make choices that will influence the rest of their lives and that of their daughters. This story obviously had a ton of commentary on colorism and what it means to "pass." I was really glad I had the chance to buddy read this because it was helpful to chat through some of the heavy themes. I think the title of this book is really spot on because it can be applied to so many different pieces of the novel. Ultimately, it's a book about identity. What does it mean to be Black? White? Man? Woman? Daughter? Mother? Family? I fully understand why this book has received all the hype it has in the last year or two. It is a powerful narrative that definitely feels like it will become a classic that is analyzed in classrooms for a long time. I would recommend going into this novel a little blind. What I've written here is basically what I knew about it when I went in and I'm glad I had the opportunity to experience the story without any preconceived notions.

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