A review by graveyardpansy
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

5.0

4.5 stars -- I'm not always the biggest fan of historical fiction, and while I love good characters, too many can sometimes overwhelm me. This book blew that expectation up - there are definitely more characters than I'm used to, there are multiple generations and the story isn't told in a super straightforward way. Even though these characters aren't the best ones I've ever read, it's still an easy book to get attached to. The plot and characters are complex and woven together expertly, and SO many important conversations are had and implied -- not only racism but colourism, as well as the idea and action of passing as white, misogyny and agency and self-discovery and identity and family. The trans character and the bits of 1900s queer culture that're integrated are, in my opinion, impressively written and not overdone, especially considering this is historical fic by (afaik) a cis author. The comparison to Bluest Eye is well-deserved, but it's definitely a different book, and I'd still recommend bluest eye anyway.