The Vanishing Half

 

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett has appeared on so many different lists of books to be read since it came out in early June. It’s the story of twins, Desiree and Stella, and their respective daughters.  Desiree and Stella grew up in the 1960s in rural Louisiana. The town they lived in wasn’t even on the map or in any atlas. Desiree couldn’t wait to leave. It took more to convince Stella that it was time to go.

 

The twins lived in a “colored town” where everyone was light-skinned. Did that impact the way they understood race? They witnessed something pretty traumatic in their young lives which shows itself in their later lives in small ways.

 

After running away to New Orleans together, Stella next runs away from Desiree. At that point, the two sisters who had always been two halves of a whole, Desiree’s and Stella’s lives go in totally different directions. Stella marries a very dark-skinned man and has a daughter who is described as “blue black.” Stella decides to pass as white which she does quite successfully. She marries a white man who has no idea about Stella’s past.

 

The plot is a bit contrived. There are lots of unlikely coincidences. However, this novel about being true to yourself – and what that means – gives the reader so much to think about. It would be a great book for a book club to discuss. There’s that much there, not all directly tied to the plot line.

 

I only gave this novel 4 stars on goodreads.com. However, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to think about how he or she thinks about race and identity.