A review by greymalkin
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

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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