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A review by jcstokes95
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.5
I had put off reading Brit Bennet’s sophomore novel, The Vanishing Half, after having a strange experience with her debut The Mothers. Which was linguistically beautiful, but often had frustrating characterization and plot decisions. Plus, I read it, a book about abortion, a week after the overturning of Roe without knowing abortion figured heavily in the plot. For all these reasons, I got skeptical of The Vanishing Half. I can say solidly, this is Britt Bennet’s better effort.
The Vanishing Half’s characters are deep and make decisions in such a believable and real way; even when they make heartbreaking choices that hurt them, everything makes painful sense. We follow a few generations of women, with twins Desiree and Stella Vignes at the center.
After escaping a Southern, Black town that determines worth based on lightness and class, the twins end up in the world on their own, forced to make their own decisions for survival. Stella leaves behind her roots, creating an elaborate lie of a life to pass into Whiteness and privilege. But the price is an existence made up of fear and shame. Desiree, meanwhile, makes her own way into trouble before returning back her hometown for refuge with a dark-skinned daughter, Jude. The choices each twin makes ripple out from there.
This book is in conversation with other works about passing over, including, obviously Passing. But I’m assuming the choice to make Desiree’s Baby dark was and intentional to Chopin (we see you Brit, you literary genius). Stella is by far the most interesting character because she has made the most interesting choice. She lives every day as an actress and is willing to turn away from what, to the reader, feel like a moral imperative to tell the truth. But in the end, you sympathize with her while also feeling conflicted at every single thing she does in the novel. Bennet writes with such feeling and beauty. You’ll be mapping out your thoughts on this one long after you finish. As the child of a mixed-race person, this story was of particular interest to me, because like many about passing, it is asking some questions about how we define race and shape identity from it. I know I’ll be snooping through reviews to see how others took its themes.
I must say, the people in my book club were a little head scratching about the ending. I think Bennet ties up her ends a little bit quickly. After a pressure cooker of a book, the tension does not seem to break. Which is sometimes a way of making a point, but it does feel a bit like it falls down a bit then. Would have liked more time to sit with the consequences of their choices. In any case, this book has fully earned the modern classic status it seems to be climbing toward and I would recommend it to anyone, especially to read with a friend or group.
The Vanishing Half’s characters are deep and make decisions in such a believable and real way; even when they make heartbreaking choices that hurt them, everything makes painful sense. We follow a few generations of women, with twins Desiree and Stella Vignes at the center.
After escaping a Southern, Black town that determines worth based on lightness and class, the twins end up in the world on their own, forced to make their own decisions for survival. Stella leaves behind her roots, creating an elaborate lie of a life to pass into Whiteness and privilege. But the price is an existence made up of fear and shame. Desiree, meanwhile, makes her own way into trouble before returning back her hometown for refuge with a dark-skinned daughter, Jude. The choices each twin makes ripple out from there.
This book is in conversation with other works about passing over, including, obviously Passing. But I’m assuming the choice to make Desiree’s Baby dark was and intentional to Chopin (we see you Brit, you literary genius). Stella is by far the most interesting character because she has made the most interesting choice. She lives every day as an actress and is willing to turn away from what, to the reader, feel like a moral imperative to tell the truth. But in the end, you sympathize with her while also feeling conflicted at every single thing she does in the novel. Bennet writes with such feeling and beauty. You’ll be mapping out your thoughts on this one long after you finish. As the child of a mixed-race person, this story was of particular interest to me, because like many about passing, it is asking some questions about how we define race and shape identity from it. I know I’ll be snooping through reviews to see how others took its themes.
I must say, the people in my book club were a little head scratching about the ending. I think Bennet ties up her ends a little bit quickly. After a pressure cooker of a book, the tension does not seem to break. Which is sometimes a way of making a point, but it does feel a bit like it falls down a bit then. Would have liked more time to sit with the consequences of their choices. In any case, this book has fully earned the modern classic status it seems to be climbing toward and I would recommend it to anyone, especially to read with a friend or group.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Hate crime, Sexual harassment, and Murder