The Vanishing Half
Ratings457
Average rating4.1
2-stars only for the huge hype and awards this book got.
Being generous but it was so sloooowww. #snailbook. I read the reviews and I wasn't the only one who experienced the slowness this book has.
https://tenor.com/view/frustrated-stitch-lilo-and-stitch-mad-angry-gif-5685259
How I felt^^
I skimmed through the last 50 pages for so. The book writing and format weren't for me.
I need a break from e-books from the library and actually read my tbr physical books sitting on my desk. Onto the next book! :D
A study in brokenness with too much of an open ending for my taste.
Still, loved the discussion of colorism.
Really enjoyed reading this, a thoughtful and engaging experience. I like how Bennett wove the stories through time and how real the characters felt.
I feel as though this book touched on a lot of interesting topics, but did not delve into anything fully. This book lacked any strong emotional connection to any character and I found myself wanting more of everyone story because of this.
I have complex emotions about this book.
From the first few pages, I sank into the narrative of the book. There was something so comforting and familiar about the writing. It made it easier to read some of the more difficult aspects of the book. However, as thought-provoking as this book was for me, I felt removed from the characters. This is not to say that there were not complex or nuanced, they definitely were; I just couldn't connect with them the whole way. I loved this book though, and will still be thinking about it in the months to come.
When the wine glass dropped, I was like “oh shit!”
Very good book, enjoyed it! Well written and believable dialogue that didn't take me out of the story at all.
I loved this book. The story was well written. It was engaging, and interesting. It gave me all the feelings I want & need in a story. It covers a number of social issues. Definitely recommending to others.
Brit Bennett's writing is so beautiful and intriguing.
I don't know how she managed to weave together so many different generations, people and personalities into a story that is so moving and complex.
Beautifully written. Twin sisters run away from their home in the South. Both are black, but one goes on to pass as a white woman while the other eventually returns to her hometown.
To be honest it initially made me question - if no one can tell the difference, why not pretend to be white when it's convenient? The book takes place in the 50s onwards where there is still segregation and a lot of discrimination e.g. can't get certain jobs.
Obviously an ignorant question, and the book does a good job of showing how the white-passing sister struggles to deal with the effects of hiding her true identity from everyone around her.
Originally posted at www.emgoto.com.
I listed to this one, and enjoyed the plot-heavy narrative. An English teacher friend complained about the book's conceit, and I have to agree. The messages were a bit heavy handed. But the characters stay with me. And Bennett is on to something about our true selves and our ability (or inability?) to be someone else. I enjoyed the book a lot.
I didn't have the slightest idea about how to write this review. The story still resonates within me; simple, and yet hauntingly beautiful. Soul-devouring and yet hopeful.I still have no idea how to write this review so I'll start with the characters since those will be who make or break this book for you. Desiree and Stella Vignes, twins, grow up in Mallard; a small town not on any map comprised of mostly coloured inhabitants. In addition to the ever-present racism of the time - we're starting in 1968 - the inhabitants of Mallard are proud of their town which was founded by a man for “men like him, who would never be accepted as white but refused to be treated like Negroes.”.Adele, their mother, whose husband - their father - has been murdered by white people for no particular reason, stays in Mallard for all her life whereas Desiree and Stella flee it as soon as they reasonably can, at 16.While at first both twins stay together in New Orleans, Stella ultimately leaves her sister behind to pursue another life - “passing over” into a “white life” with a white husband, Blake Sanders, and their soon-to-be daughter Kennedy.Desiree stays behind and goes on to marry the “jet-black” Sam Winston from whom she soon conceives her daughter, Jude. Sam turns out to be a violent abuser, though, and so Desiree flees with Jude back to her hometown Mallard and her mother Adele.Jude, being “Blueblack”, never has a chance in Mallard and takes the first real opportunity to leave. Not in the dark of the night like her mother and aunt but - a new generation's privilege - openly to build herself a new life.Over the decades (covering mostly the 60'ties to the 90'ties of the 20th century) we're following the fates of both “The Vanishing Half”, Stella, Desiree and, most importantly, those of their children, Jude and Kennedy.Because, almost inexplicably, the lives of both Jude and Kennedy intertwine and while they stay just shy of friendship, Jude and Kennedy build upon the familial bonds they share. Much more than that, though, Jude immensely grows through her relationships: Her friendship with Barry who likes to become Bianca or her sometimes-rocky but unending, boundless and unconditional love of her partner, Reese.In fact, the relationships in “The Vanishing Half” are what makes this book so immensely appealing to me. Their credibility and the truthfulness of the emotions displayed raise this book far beyond the ordinary. And, yet, the book is also very, very accessible - no stilted or complicated language, simple truths expressed effortlessly...»When you married someone, you promised to love every person he would be.«Take into account the beautiful and weirdly fitting cover and you get a book that will stay with me for a long time, I think.I cannot recommend this book highly enough for what it achieves - and effortlessly at that.»She did not know that Jude and Reese had talked, once or twice, about marriage. They wouldn't be able to, not without a new birth certificate for Reese, but still they talked about it, the way children talk about weddings. Wistfully.«Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram
This book really made me think about the divide between black and white society in our country. This book is about the act of choosing to be what you are not so that your life can be privileged. What will you give up for that comfort and ease?
Addresses so many nuanced experiences in an engaging but not overly dramatic way. I appreciated the first person insight of multiple characters and their progression.
3.5 stars. I liked how the book started out but was disappointed by the second half.
i loved this from beginning to end. i've never read anything written about twins like this. even when they exist in a foil, Desiree and Stella are given an individuality (especially in how they exist in relation to the other) that twins are so often denied — particularly in any form of representational media.
Ah, this is like everyone else's favorite book of the year but it was just an okay read for me. Honestly, I was ON BOARD for Jude and Reese's story but I had to force myself through Stella and Kennedy's bits. I listened to the audio and am now seeing a difference in reviews- people who read the book seem to like it more than those that listened to it? I'm not making excuses, it is what it is. This didn't seem powerful or literary to me. Maybe I went in with the wrong mindset. It felt very mainstream. I was reminded of the way I felt when I read The Help or The Secret Life of Bees- and that feeling is meh. I tried really hard not to compare it to [b:Passing 349929 Passing Nella Larsen https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388214730l/349929.SY75.jpg 2369306] because it can't measure up.
This hit me hard; there was a lot going on. The setup – leaving your life behind to pursue a new one – is a launching point for a powerful exploration into the ways that lies and secrets end up shaping our lives. Sometimes taking over. I'm someone who has (mostly) passed for white in the U.S., also someone who carries secrets. I recognized some of the choices Bennett writes about. I like to think that I never abandoned anybody; and that my confidences are for the protection and care of others, not for my own gain; but that's the whole point, isn't it? How we lie to ourselves to self-justify? I hope to carry these thoughts with me.
The writing: it's beautiful. Bennett's language is sumptuous, her dialog natural, her characters complex, interesting, multidimensional. They feel real, and I cared about them – even the unsympathetic ones. The story went places I wasn't expecting. I finished reading and felt a strong urge to start it back over again.
What a compelling plot. 1968. Two identical twin sisters. They grow up in a small, light-skinned black community. They leave together to live in New Orleans. One sister, on impulse, decides to apply for a job open only to whites. She gets the job. She passes for white. She never goes back. The other sister marries a dark black man. He beats her. She returns to her black community.
There's lots more, with children, with life experiences for each.
This book would be so good for a book group discussion.
One sentence synopsis... ‘The Vanishing Half' follows the lives of the Vignes twins whose paths diverge and intersect in various heartbreaking ways after one sister makes the decision to erase her past and pass as white.
Read it if you like... ‘Girl, Woman, Other', ‘Homegoing', or 'Little Fires Everywhere'.
Dream casting... HBO paid seven figures for the rights to develop it into a limited series. I'd cast Kiki Layne as studious Jude and Elliot Fletcher as her trans boyfriend Reese.
OK, I know I'm late to the party with this one but in my defense, it was sold out for a while (except for on Amazon but I'm trying to buy from there less) and I just recently (2 months ago ) got my hands on a copy. I finished this last week and can't wait to give my thoughts!
To be completely honest I liked this book a lot and I feel like none of my takes are going to be particularly hot, but if you're considering trying this book out, read on!
Things I liked: The writing (gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!), the different POVs, theme of identity and its intersection with race, class, and gender. Bennett is truly an incredible storyteller; every scene felt so intentional and the way in which these characters' stories intertwine is nothing short of masterful! I thought each story arc was unique and well-told, especially Stella, Desiree, and Jude (so I guess maybe all the main characters?). I feel like Bennett refreshed the often-used theme of “identity” in the Vanishing Half— She expertly reveals just how flimsy our definition of race is; so flimsy, in fact, that people who are white-passing can switch their race on a whim! I love how she brought gender and sexuality into the story as well, and the struggles that many people face with these identities. She highlights the idea of “passing” (in both gender and race) in a way that I felt was super enlightening!
Things I didn't like: the first bit of the story was admittedly slow (something I've heard from many people) and I feel like it took a bit for us to get into the meat of the story. The side characters also felt a BIT one dimensional to me. Like, Desiree and Stella clearly had very well thought out emotions and motivations, but some of the other side characters felt... meh
Overall: read this book!!!! Trust me that the beginning may seem slow, but it gets juicy!!!!!!
I have this kind of dumb mental block where when I'm confronted with like, Adult Literary Historical Fiction, my brain is like “BORING!! IT'S GONNA BE BORING!” even though for example I love all of Louise Erdrich's books. And I loved this book too even though I'm not sure I would have prioritized picking it up if it weren't for my book club.
From the start it's just so engaging and compelling, and I really marvel at the way the theme of identity and “passing” was used in so many different settings. I couldn't put it down.