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A review by saidthestory
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
The Vanishing Half follows twin sisters Desiree and Stella Vignes, the choices they make, and all the lives connected to theirs that their choices have affected. At its heart this story is about finding yourself, but it’s also about how the actions and reactions of people can change lives.
The Vignes twins are identical to the eye, but vastly different in personality. One is fiery, one is quiet. One speaks her mind, the other obeys. But both sisters went missing from their small southern Black community when they were sixteen, together. Now, years later the twins haven’t seen one another in over a decade. One is living with her Black daughter in the small town she always wished to escape, and the other is secretly passing for white, with a white daughter.
I have always, and likely will always, be a fan of the generational novel. Or any novel that has a ‘six-degrees-of-seperation’ theme to it. I love the art of threading lives and stories into one another, seeing how one person’s choices can affect so many. How connected people can be, even from across the country.
This is one of those novels where the plot itself doesn’t feel that important, but the way the plot helps portray the characters is extremely important.
There were moments where the prose was so powerful, so meaningful, and so well-written, I had to take a second just to soak it all in.
This novel is about being Black, it’s about your family, your past, your future. It’s about the difference between finding yourself and making who you want to be - or rather whether there is a difference at all. It’s about connection in its many forms.
I couldn’t recommend this highly enough. If you’re in the mood for a well-written literary fiction, this is it.
cw: Racism, lynching, rape, domestic abuse, transphobia.
The Vignes twins are identical to the eye, but vastly different in personality. One is fiery, one is quiet. One speaks her mind, the other obeys. But both sisters went missing from their small southern Black community when they were sixteen, together. Now, years later the twins haven’t seen one another in over a decade. One is living with her Black daughter in the small town she always wished to escape, and the other is secretly passing for white, with a white daughter.
I have always, and likely will always, be a fan of the generational novel. Or any novel that has a ‘six-degrees-of-seperation’ theme to it. I love the art of threading lives and stories into one another, seeing how one person’s choices can affect so many. How connected people can be, even from across the country.
This is one of those novels where the plot itself doesn’t feel that important, but the way the plot helps portray the characters is extremely important.
There were moments where the prose was so powerful, so meaningful, and so well-written, I had to take a second just to soak it all in.
This novel is about being Black, it’s about your family, your past, your future. It’s about the difference between finding yourself and making who you want to be - or rather whether there is a difference at all. It’s about connection in its many forms.
I couldn’t recommend this highly enough. If you’re in the mood for a well-written literary fiction, this is it.
cw: Racism, lynching, rape, domestic abuse, transphobia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, and Transphobia