“She hadn’t realized how long it takes to become somebody else, or how lonely it can be living in a world not meant for you.” – The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
The Gist
The Vignes twins have always been identical – same eyes, same hair, same skin color – and after growing up in a small black community in the South, they are both itching to escape. But that’s where the similarities end. When they run to New Orleans, the sisters end up living very different lives – Stella falling in love with her white boss and living her life secretly passing as a white woman, and Desiree feeling abandoned by her very best friend.
When Desiree’s daughter moves to California for college, she has a chance encounter with Stella, the aunt she knows left her family without a trace. Weaving the stories of two generations of Vignes women, Brit Bennet creates a story from the 1950s to the 1990s that forms an emotional and riveting generational story.
This Month’s Book Club Pick
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett was one of Feyble’s most anticipated books of summer. As soon as it was released, I was first on the wait list at my local library and I wasn’t disappointed. If you’re looking for a page-turning, engrossing, and provocative novel to discuss with your book club, The Vanishing Half is the way to go. The book is full of stories influenced by racism that may open your eyes to what it’s like to be black in America, but this book goes beyond issues of race. It makes you think about what it takes to break out of the life you were given and strive for the life you deserve. It makes you think about whether living that life you thought you deserve is what really makes you happy. It also delves into mother-daughter relationships and the secrets we keep from our children.
The only reason this book got a 4-star review was the ending. The ending is a pivotal part of a book and if you’re disappointed on the last page, the whole book tends to be tinted with that disappointment. That was certainly the case for me. I felt like the story stopped so suddenly. Like we just reached the climax and then it was over. I didn’t feel resolved – and maybe that’s the point but I think it needed another two chapters to come to terms with how the relationships in this book panned out. I don’t need a pretty bow but I feel like the book was ripped out of my hands before I had the chance to finish. Regardless, it’s a great read for your next book club (aka friends that meet and drink wine together…).
If you’d like to see other reviews, check out what other people had to say here.
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Alyssa Flores
Alyssa reads hundreds of books a year and is on a never-ending quest to find the perfect book.
