Brit Bennett
Fiction 2020 | 352 pages
“Brilliant, stunning, eloquent, gorgeous, thought-provoking, intricate, moving.” These are just some of the words reviewers have written, and for good reason. The Vanishing Half is a novel about identical twin sisters, Desiree and Stella, born in 1952, in a minuscule Louisiana town that prides itself on breeding light-skinned Black people, some of whom are light enough to pass for White. And Stella does, separating herself from her twin and her family for 25 years. They each have a daughter ... Jude, who is so black they call her “blue black” and Kennedy, a blond violet-eyed beauty. The daughters’ lives eventually intersect and, of course, all their lives are irrevocably altered.
The story is exceptional and difficult to put down. I was often reading pages this last week at 3:30 in the morning. The writing is simply superb. Brit Bennett was listed by Time magazine on March 8 as one of the next “100 Most Influential People in the World.”
There is no hesitation on my part. Read this four-heart book as soon as you can get your hands on it ... there is already a long wait for it at your library!
March 2021
I put this on my list as soon as I learned about it. Loved her earlier book The Mothers.
Ah, I will add The Mothers to my list! Thanks, Mary.
This is a book I will add to the list for my reading group.
I hope your group enjoys it!
Just finished this book. It was good. Excellent writing, compelling story. Yet, I liked The Mothers much more. It’s been long enough ago when I read it that I can’t tell you specifics about why. Will be interested it get your reaction.