Book title – The Vanishing Half

Author – Brit Bennet

Format – Kindle

Los Angeles-based Brit Bennet’s second novel, The Vanishing Half is the timeless tale of the Vignes twin sisters, who – while born identical – grow up to live two very different lives. Born in 1938 in Mallard, a small town in Louisiana, while their fair appearance may disguise their Negros heritage, they are very much part of the black community. The girls’ own father died at the hands of white men; a heartache that has never stopped haunting the twins, and when they are forced to leave school at sixteen to supplement the family’s income, their hopes for a better future are brutally crushed – until the girls run away from home to start a new life in New Orleans.

Years later, the sisters have lost contact with each other. Desiree will return to her hometown with her young daughter in tow, on the run from her violent husband, while Stella has married a rich white man who knows nothing of her past. What follows is a story about the choices that end up defining who we really are, in which the twins’ daughters will ultimately discover both their roots and the key to their long-lost identify.

What I liked the most about The Vanishing Half was its way of transcending time and place. I was taken on a journey spanning from the 50s and what it meant to be a light-skinned black person then, to the 90s where I saw things didn’t change that much. People who enjoy generational stories will really like this one. It isn’t linear; it doesn’t follow a progression from one generation to the next, but it goes back and forth and skips around to the different players in a way that makes sense to the story. I also loved the characters. You can tell each of them was struggling with the very human experience of not being accepted by society for who they are and trying to figure out how to reconcile it. I think this is why this story has received so much praise; people connect to a story of being seen after being unseen. Overall, I enjoyed the story. I love a good messy character, and this was an interesting portrayal of someone who crossed over races. I have never read a story like this, outside of historical accounts of people who passed. It makes me wonder how many of my ancestors were able to pass. This book was a critical examination of the power and potency of white privilege, a conversation that is still necessary today.

The Vanishing Half may seem old-fashioned but it’s cleverly constructed to both match and critique the conservatism of the 1950s and 60s: the attenuated tone chimes with the restrained language and style of the period. Ultimately, it’s a quietly damning account of acquiescing to an imitation of life and the delusion of the American dream. Rich with vividly drawn characters, a compelling plot and beautifully written prose, the story line spans across the decades as Bennett seamlessly intertwines the lives of each of the characters. A tale of family, identity, race, history, perception, compassion, and roots, you’ll be thinking about The Vanishing Half long after you turn the final page.