The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Reviewed by: Beth Weimer, Communications Specialist
Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction
Suggested Age: Adults, Teens
What is the book about?: Mallard, Louisiana, never existed on any map, and twins Stella and Desiree see running away when they’re sixteen as their only way to escape the tiny, rural black community founded by their ancestors. But then Stella disappears, leaving Desiree to struggle through life on her own. Stella forsakes her family to build a new life passing as white, while Desiree is eventually forced to return home, though she never stops searching for her other half. Some bonds just can’t be broken, no matter the miles, years, and lies that pass, and the choices each sister makes will impact their own daughters in ways they never imagined.
My Review: For a novel that deals with such heavy themes of identity – race, colorism, and gender – Bennett manages to reach a depth that somehow isn’t crushing. Each character’s story is told with a tender realism that makes their pain and burdens worth bearing as they create and hide and reinvent their own identities within the inescapable webs of history, heritage, and community. I dreaded the twins’ reunion, expecting the worst, but it was just achingly abrupt and bittersweet. There’s a subtle power to this story that I can’t quite articulate, an evocation of empathy that’s quiet and unforced. Regardless, this story will stick with me for some time, and I hope you take time to read it. (Watch for the upcoming HBO adaptation, but definitely read this book!)
Three Words That Describe This Book: Moving, Complex, Brilliant
Give This a Try if You Like… The Mothers by Brit Bennett, Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, A Kind of Freedom by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
Rating: 5/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
