The Vanishing Half

Brit Bennett

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett tells the story of the Vignes twins sisters Desiree and Stella. Growing up in a small town, the sisters escape More than a decade later, the twins have lost touch with each other. Desiree’s choices result in her being stuck; stuck in a town she can’t leave, without a career, without a life. Nearly broken from her sister’s choice to leave her, she never gives up hope of finding Stella until it’s nearly too late. Stella chooses to pass as white. Her choice allows her to live a life filled with opportunity and privilege. At the same time, she is without her family. She is perpetually uncomfortable and is teetering on the edge of someone finding out her secret, so she makes the effort to bury her true self and live a life built on fragile lies.

As time goes on, they and their respective daughters realize you can never quite cut the ties of the past. This is a story about love, family, mothers, daughters, acceptance, and racism. How race can shape individuals’ lives. This book also touches on domestic violence, gender identity, and acceptance. Bennett writes heavy hitting difficult topics that are painful to express yet necessary to share. Powerful, thought-provoking, and profound, but told through such compelling, yet flawed, characters. A must read!