Buying Options

Kindle Price:	$14.99
	includes tax, if applicable
Sold by:	Hachette Book Group (AU) This price was set by the publisher.

promotions apply when you purchase

Add Audible Narration to your purchase for just $9.99

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

Redeem a promotion code or gift card

Share <Embed>

The Vanishing Half: Shortlisted for the Women's Prize 2021 by [Brit Bennett]

Follow the Author

Brit Bennett

The Vanishing Half: Shortlisted for the Women's Prize 2021 Kindle Edition

by Brit Bennett (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

76,277 ratings

See all formats and editions

Amazon Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$14.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$23.38

$20.85

—

Paperback

"Please retry"

$12.00

—

Audio CD, CD, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$20.26

—

THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP BESTSELLER
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE

'An utterly mesmerising novel..I absolutely loved this book' Bernardine Evaristo, winner of the Booker Prize 2019

'Epic' Kiley Reid, O, The Oprah Magazine

'Favourite book [of the] year' Issa Rae

The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Ten years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' story lines intersect?

Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins.

Print length

482 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Dialogue Books
Publication date

2 June 2020
File size

1724 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
See all details

Product description

Review

Bennett's gorgeously written second novel, an ambitious meditation on race and identity, considers the divergent fates of twin sisters, born in the Jim Crow South, after one decides to pass for white. Bennett balances the literary demands of dynamic characterization with the historical and social realities of her subject matter ― New York Times

Bennett balances the literary demands of dynamic characterization with the historical and social realities of her subject matter. . . there is such depth, possibility and dramatic propulsion . . a brave foray into vast and difficult terrain. . . .The novel raises thorny questions about the cost of blackness. The answers are complicated ― New York Times Book Review

Stunning . . . Bennett pulls it off brilliantly . . . Few novels manage to remain interesting from start to finish, even - maybe especially - the brilliant ones. But . . . Bennett locks readers in and never lets them go ― Los Angeles Times

Deeply compelling . . . brilliantly creates a network of characters - singular and vivid . . . There are moments . . . that stun with quiet power . . . The Vanishing Half more than succeeds as a beautifully imagined story about an American family ― USA Today

As thought-provoking as it is engrossing ― Oprah magazine

Brit Bennett has learned a lot from Toni Morrison - the use of uncanny rural communities in the South/Midwest; twins/doppelgängers to explore the extreme edges of the American Dream; whip-smart dialogue - but her exquisite slowness and patience of tone are unique. A wonderful, cosseting read ― Paul Mendez, author of Rainbow Milk

The Vanishing Half is an utterly mesmerising novel. It seduces with its literary flair, surprises with its breath-taking plot twists, delights with its psychological insights, and challenges us to consider the corrupting consequences of racism on different communities and individual lives. I absolutely loved this book ― Bernardine Evaristo, winner of the Booker Prize

A novel of immense, shining, powerful intelligence ― Deborah Levy

The Vanishing Half should mark the induction of Brit Bennett into the small group of likely successors to Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston and Nella Larsen. I read it torn between competing urges: I wanted to greedily turn the pages, yet I also wanted to savour every word, lingering as long as I could with the delicious feeling of being sunk so deep into the story that every time I set the book aside it felt like coming up for air. Compelling, compassionate and astonishingly good ― Sara Collins

A potent, generous, and masterful novel. Bennett is a humane and supple story-teller we are lucky to have ― Olivia Sudjic

An impressive and arresting novel. Perceptive in its insights and poised in execution, this is an important, timely examination of the impact of race on personality, experience and relationships ― Diana Evans

Superb. A gorgeously immersive novel. It deftly explores the dichotomies of twinship, passing and class in America ― Irenosen Okojie

The detail and the feeling showcased in every sentence Brit Bennett writes is breathtaking. The Vanishing Half is a novel that shows just how human emotion, uncertainty and longing can be captured and put on paper ― Candice Carty-Williams

The Vanishing Half does exactly what a great novel is meant to do. It fills you with questions, exposes you to realities you may never have thought of and of course keeps you up into the night reading. The characters in this book are so real, so warm and so very complicated. I loved every part of it, even when it was making me sad or angry. It's just such a beautiful story -- Luan Goldie

Brit Bennett is a tremendous talent ― Imbolo Mbue

A powerful, tender family epic which reminds us directly and poignantly that things are not black and white ― Louisa Young

Bennett's mesmerising gem is a masterclass of moving storytelling. The Vanishing Half is also a thought provoking
assessment of race and social politics in post-war America .. . The powerful plot twists will keep you gripped until the end

― Independent

The Vanishing Half is an immersive story about family, identity and belonging ― Red

A novel about motherhood and race, incredibly clever and interrogates race with nuance . . . Compulsively readable . . . An incredible talent . . . a book to look forward to ― The High Low podcast

A lyrical mediation on identity, race and gender. Bennett explores the selves we choose to be, as well as the selves we have imposed on us with great empathy and precision. The Vanishing Half is a gorgeous, generous novel and written with true heart -- Elizabeth Day

Stunning . . . seamless and suspenseful . . . engrossing and surprisingly apolitical . . . The result is a novel that reads effortlessly . . . There is tremendous, timeless wisdom here -- AV Club

This ticks all the boxes for me - enticing plot, memorable characters, all wrapped up in beautiful writing . . . an astounding book -- Nina Pottell ― Prima

The Vanishing Half is one of this year's most anticipated books . . . Sweeping and ambitious . . . Combining an addictive story (it's perfect for book clubs ) with serious questions of racism, social expectations, lies, love and compassion - this is an unforgettable read ― Stylist

Bennett is a gifted storyteller. This generous, humane novel has many merits, not least its engrossing plot and richly detailed settings -- Michael Donkor ― Guardian

A thought-provoking read ― Woman & Home

Fascinating and beautifully written ― Good Housekeeping

An entirely mesmerising novel ― Psychologies

A bold, skilful storyteller . . . a novel that deftly rehearses the history of prejudice and suffering leading up to the present moment. It's a clever balancing act indeed to pair such heartbreaking material with a narrative that's so much fun -- Claire Lowdon ― Sunday Times

Deft, dazzling, many-layered, highly detailed and emotionally absorbing . . . [Bennett] unpicks the terrible, wonderful, inescapable threads that bind sisters across time, place and lies, and does so with poise, grace and breathtaking prose. A beautiful, important and timely book -- Ella Walker ― Scotsman

A must-read . . . A tender story about race, family and identity ― Best

Fluent and openhearted . . . In a style as easy and candid as a detective story, Bennett scatters clues for us to gather just as, crucially, the twins' contrasting daughters, Jude and Kennedy, piece together fragments of their painful heritage -- Maria Crawford ― Financial Times

Bennett explores the multiple ways in which race and gender can be authentic, permeable and socially constructed all at
once, without ever passing judgment on her characters. Combining a mythic structure with emotionally rich social realism, this is a truly excellent novel

-- Claire Allfree ― Daily Mail

Bennett's second novel is an expertly plotted and empathetic exploration of race, identity and colourism in the tradition of Toni Morrison. ― Guardian

Bennett's wonderful novel tackles race and identity in the US, as the Vignes twins, Desiree and Stella, who choose very different paths through life ― The i

The omniscient authorial voice is gentle and compassionate in a tale that inverts and confounds expectations . . . cleverly
constructed to both match and critique the conservativism of the 1950s and 60s : the attenuated tone chimes with the restrained language and style of the period. Ultimately, it's a quietly damning account of acquiescing to an imitation of life and the delusion of the American dream

-- Colin Grant ― Observer

It's intensely emotional and gorgeously written, with timely insights into the poison of racism ― Sunday Mirror

Beautifully written ― Bella

Epic and unforgettable ― Hello!

A triumph of empathetic storytelling . . . A terrific novel -- Claire Allfree ― Daily Mail

An absorbing read that stays with you long after you've closed its pages ― Herald

Bennett has been described as a successor to the likes of Toni Morrison and Zora Neale Hurston, and The Vanishing Half promises an absorbing exploration of race, family and the American history of "passing" -- Refinery29

A gorgeously rich, sweeping saga ― Evening Standard

A thought-provoking read about identity and gender -- Zoe West ― Women's Weekly

The intricacies of identity, of "shadeism" between differently skin-toned African-Americans, of white privilege are skilfully
pursued in this poignant and clever multigenerational saga about race in America

― The Times

Bennett imbues her characters with immense heart, and does a great job of depicting their lives through the years. Even better, she works hard to draw resonances throughout her thoughtful and compassionate tale, looking at the dubious history of the Vignes girls' lineage, as well as the difficulties and struggles of their children as they stride forward into the world.
There is a simple lyrical quality to Bennett's prose that evokes an entire place and time in just a few well-balanced sentences, and the way she treats all her characters with respect and care makes The Vanishing Half an engaging and thought-provoking read on every level

― Big Issue

Arguably the book of the summer, Bennett's second novel is a page-turning saga of race and family ― The i

Bennett tells the story of the girls' diverging trajectories in rich, elegant prose; you can literally swirl the words in your mouth ― Evening Standard

I loved how Bennett explores the concepts of belonging and family ― Cosmopolitan

Moving back and forth over three decades, and the course of an intricately detailed plot, Bennett's superb novel takes the issue of race as the starting point for a deep exploration of identity ― Financial Times

One of the most engaging books of the year ― The i

Old-fashioned epic meets modern identity politics in this excellent novel about the mixed fortunes of light-skinned black twins born in 1950s Louisiana ― Telegraph

A stunning family saga about passing for white and the hollowness of the American dream that won her comparisons to Toni Morrison ― Guardian

It has the ideal mix of social commentary and a pacy plot - I tore through it in a couple of days ― The i

The year's most addictive novel ― Metro

I loved Bennett's rich elegant prose ― Evening Standard

Mesmerising . . . the powerful plot twists in the novel, which concludes in 1986, will keep you gripped until the
end

― Independent

An engrossing, provocative read exploring themes of family, relationships and race -- Books of the Year ― Express

This book has everything: enticing plot, memorable characters and beautiful, melodic writing -- Books of the Year ― Prima

Beautifully written and unputdownable. Bennett is a major force in American literature and I cannot get enough of her storytelling. -- Mel Giedroyc

I knew very little about the American history of 'passing' and this novel opened my eyes to its heartbreaking complexities whilst exploring the intricate notion of identity and life sacrifices -- Ruth Jones --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Book Description

From the author of the New York Times bestseller The Mothers, a powerful new novel about the parallel lives of estranged twin sisters who choose to live in two very different worlds - one black and one white. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

Bennett is a gifted storyteller. This generous, humane novel has many merits, not least its engrossing plot and richly detailed settings - Guardian

A triumph of empathetic storytelling . . . A terrific novel - Daily Mail

The Vanishing Half is an utterly mesmerising novel. It seduces with its literary flair, surprises with its breath-taking plot twists, delights with its psychological insights, and challenges us to consider the corrupting consequences of racism on different communities and individual lives. I absolutely loved this book - Bernardine Evaristo, winner of the Booker Prize --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Inside Flap

The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Ten years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' story lines intersect?

Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins.

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author

Born and raised in Southern California, Brit Bennett graduated from Stanford University and later earned her MFA in fiction at the University of Michigan. Her debut novel, The Mothers, was a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for both the NBCC John Leonard First Novel Prize and the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction. Her second novel, The Vanishing Half, was an instant#1 New York Times bestseller, longlisted for the National Book Award, a finalist for the Women's Prize, and named one of the ten best books of the year by The New York Times. Bennet has been named a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree, a NAACP Image Award Finalist, and one of Time's Next 100 Influential People. Her essays have been featured in The New Yorker, TheNew York Times Magazine, The Paris Review, and Jezebel. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Publisher

Born and raised in Southern California, Brit Bennett graduated from Stanford University and later earned her MFA in fiction at the University of Michigan, where she won a Hopwood Award in Graduate Short Fiction as well as the 2014 Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers. Her work is featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Paris Review, and Jezebel. She is one of the National Book Foundation's 2016 5 Under 35 honorees. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Back Cover

'A bold, skilful storyteller . . . a novel that deftly rehearses the history of prejudice and suffering leading up to the present moment. It's a clever balancing act indeed to pair such heartbreaking material with a narrative that's so much fun' Claire Lowdon, Sunday Times

Stella and Desiree are identical twins, growing up together in a small, Southern black community. Until, at age sixteen, they run away . . .

Years later, everything about their lives is different: their families, communities and racial identities. One sister lives with her black daughter in the same Southern town she once tried to escape. The other sister secretly passes as white, and her husband knows nothing of her past. Still, separated by many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen in the next generation, when their own daughters' storylines intersect?

'The Vanishing Half is an utterly mesmerising novel. It seduces with its literary flair, surprises with its breath-taking plot twists, delights with its psychological insights, and challenges us to consider the corrupting consequences of racism on different communities and individual lives. I absolutely loved this book' Bernardine Evaristo

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B082KH5D4M
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dialogue Books (2 June 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1724 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 482 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0593286103

Best Sellers Rank: 2,314 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 2 in Black & African American Literature (Books)
- 8 in Fiction About Sisters
- 47 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
76,277 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Brit Bennett

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Born and raised in Southern California, Brit Bennett graduated from Stanford University and earned her MFA in fiction at the University of Michigan, where she won a Hopwood Award in Graduate Short Fiction as well as the 2014 Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers. She is a National Book Foundation "5 under 35" honoree, and her essays are featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Paris Review, and Jezebel.

Emily Itami
638
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $15.99
Brit Bennett
5,445
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $12.99
Susanna Clarke
14,273
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $8.59
Cho Nam-Joo
3,471
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $12.99
Peter Hogenkamp
68
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $4.99
Elizabeth Strout
1,935
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $11.99

Customer reviews

5 star		39%
4 star		42%
3 star		15%
2 star		3%
1 star		1%

How are ratings calculated?

Review this product

Write a customer review

Reviews with images

See all customer images

Top reviews from Australia

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Cindy

Couldn't Put This Down

Reviewed in Australia on 18 August 2020

Verified Purchase

This was a beautifully written and compelling story of intergenerational trauma, identity and the choices that end up defining who we are.

The characters were vividly drawn with story lines that spanned across decades so that I felt like I had come to intimately know these characters and the shapes of their lives by the end. Through the characters of the twin girls we see themes of loss, identity, race, society, survival and motherhood play out and I love how the book tackles these bigger themes without detracting from the core story of the girls' disappearance and separation.

The writing was stunning in that quiet, unassuming way, balancing descriptive prose with a grounded realism, "A town always looked different once you returned, like a house where all the furniture had shifted three inches. You wouldn't mistake it for a stranger's house but you'd keep banging your shins on the table corners"

I couldn't put this book down but I also didn't want it to end, and I wished the story had continued to the next generation of daughters because it is a story that I could keep reading.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Tamara Cook

Heartbreaking & incredibly insightful

Reviewed in Australia on 10 January 2021

Verified Purchase

I had never heard of passing before. In Australia I guess it happens but it’s not the same as the states. I learned so much about internal and external battles for acceptance and love. But what this book really brings is characters so strong they stay with you in every little thing you do. Their fears and dreams haunt you, reflecting your own fears and dreams. Powerful.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Philip Cassell

Disappointing

Reviewed in Australia on 16 November 2020

Verified Purchase

I found this novel to have some interesting features; the basic storyline is involving enough; and its description of prejudice is sometimes moving.
However, far too much of the writing is banal and repetitive. Too much of the novel is static.
All novels are fabrications, of course; however, the concoctedness of Vanishing Half leaps out at the reader and spoils it. For me at least.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Cas22

An engaging and thought-provoking read

Reviewed in Australia on 8 January 2021

Verified Purchase

While the all-pervading racial biases of America in the 1950s and 1960s underpin this competently written novel, it is also a story about identity. The narrative centres on twin, light-skinned girls of Negro ancestry who live in a world where white is better than brown is better than black, even amongst their own mixed-race community. While one of the twins accepts her origins, the other rejects all vestiges of her past and passes herself off as a white woman, albeit one living in constant fear of being ‘found out’. Through the stories of the twins and other characters in the novel, the author seems to ask whether identity is intrinsic and immutable or whether it is really just construct, able to be re-fashioned at will. It was an enjoyable, thought-provoking read.

Helpful

Belinda

Beautifully written characters

Reviewed in Australia on 14 April 2021

Verified Purchase

A beautiful story about the lasting influence of the past, identity, race, family ties and love in all it's forms. Deeply complex and beautifully written characters are interwoven through America's past (1950s in the Deep South) to more modern times. No spoilers, but I could not put this down.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Vivien J Sonego

An unusual but powerful approach to racial identity

Reviewed in Australia on 24 August 2020

Verified Purchase

To pass as white in order to be free. What a theme! Brought to life by twins who went their separate ways. To be raised one way, yet pass for another race with everything that entails, ironically imprisoned by the secrecy of deception and shame. A novel for our times.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

barbara gorman

Not terrible

Reviewed in Australia on 25 December 2020

Verified Purchase

This debut novel is well written, has nice prose. It's about two daughters, both passably white. One leads the life of a black woman and one identifies as white. It's the old prodigal child theme, although it drags a little spread as it is over two generations. Not bad, a mite predictable.

Helpful

FiCo

A Solid Tale, Great Holiday Read

Reviewed in Australia on 8 March 2021

Verified Purchase

The tale of twin sisters who took different paths in life. Likeable characters, an enjoyable read. The story somehow familiar, yet original enough to entertain.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer

A beautiful, brilliantly written novel. An absolute MUST-read, right now.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 June 2020

Verified Purchase

I moved work meetings around to read this book, I truly could not put it down.

Every great novel should force you out of your comfort zone, introduce you to new worlds and make you pause to think and assess. The Vanishing Half manages this, it feels, with ease. Brit Bennett achieved this with The Mothers too (which I also loved and is a MUST-read), but here the cast, the setting and the timeline are even more expansive. Thus the skill on display, even more impressive.

This is a novel that weaves the themes of history, memory and identity. It encourages us to put aside simplified notions of racial dynamics, and as a mixed-race woman, I found myself deeply interrogating my own thoughts, beliefs and experiences. This is not, though, only a novel about race and it would be disingenuous to believe so. This is a journey through family ties, belonging and loss; of individuals, couples, communities. Seamlessly bringing together these myriad threads is the sign of a masterful writer.

Brit writes with unpretentious flair, in a way that envelopes you softly, almost as though you're hearing your mum telling you the story as her mum told it to her. No word is wasted, no sentence is filler, no dialogue is superfluous. Everything serves its purpose exquisitely and is imbibed with feeling.

This novel spans the full emotional spectrum, it brought me moments of sadness, anger, and tender delight, all of which I am truly grateful for. I needed this novel right now - and I believe many of us do. Please, do not hesitate to purchase this book.

82 people found this helpful

edbusa

The story was not centered on the Twin sisters!!!

Reviewed in the United States on 25 June 2020

Verified Purchase

This is clearly a case off false advertising. I expected the book to convey a story on the dynamics identical twins raised in the racist south. THIS WAS NOT THE CORE OF THE BOOK. Instead it focused on the dynamics of the LGBTQ community. I have absolutely no interest in such matters. Thoroughly disappointed.

985 people found this helpful

Ralph Blumenau

Problems of racial and gender identity

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 July 2020

Verified Purchase

The first three quarters of the book are excellent. They tell of the lives of twin sisters, Desiree and Stella, who were born in the fictional Louisiana town of Mallard, where the population of African-Americans were all light-skinned and looked down on dark skinned people.

This had not prevented whites from a neighbouring town from lynching their father for an imagined racial transgression.

In 1964 Desiree and Stella ran way to St Louis. But they soon went their separate ways. Stella, traumatized by having seen her father lynched, had decided to pass as white. She had taken a job in St Louis. Her employer, a wealthy white banker called Blake Sanders had taken a liking to her, and she to him; and when he was moved to Boston and asked her to go with him, she had agreed, and had simply walked out on Desiree without telling her where she had gone. There she married him and bore him a white daughter, Kennedy. Neither Blake nor Kennedy knew that she was not white. Later they moved to Los Angeles.

For years Stella had no contact with Desiree. She was always terrified that she would be found out, and avoided any contact with black people. The exception was her friendship for a while with Loretta Walker, a black woman who lived in the house opposite hers; but this ended when Kennedy, playing with Loretta’s daughter Cindy, made a racist comment to Cindy.

Desiree had gone to Washington D.C, and married a black man, Sam Winston, and bore him a black daughter, Jude. But Sam was violent towards Desiree, and she and Jude left him and returned to Mallard in 1968.
In 1982 Jude was living in Los Angeles with Reese Carter, a transgender man with whom, sharing his bed, she has an affaire of sorts, and with Barry, who performs as a drag queen twice a month. Reese and Barry, like Stella, were passing for something they were not.

One day, Jude thought she had seen Stella, the lookalike of her mother; and she also met Kennedy.
Kennedy had become a rebel, had dropped out school, and against her mother’s wishes, had taken up acting in a crummy play in a crummy theatre. Jude took a job as a dogsbody at the theatre in order to see more of her cousin and in the hope of meeting Stella. On the last night of the show she did meet Stella, and introduced herself to her as Desiree’s daughter. Stella froze, then walked away. Angrily, Jude told Kennedy that their mothers were twins, and that Stella had been lying to Kennedy all her life.

The secret was out: Stella knew she had been rumbled, and Kennedy knew the truth.

I found the remaining quarter of the book, dealing in part with the consequences of this situation, very confusing. Hence only three stars, when so much of the book deserves five.

39 people found this helpful

Daniel S

The Road Not Taken

Reviewed in the United States on 3 June 2020

Verified Purchase

This book is about choices and circumstance. It tells the story of twin girls growing up in the segregated South. They live in a town that is colorstruck inhabited by light skinned black people. Both sisters, in their own way, rebel against the strictures of the town They run away as teenagers and wind up rebelling in very different fashions. One sister marries an extremely dark skinned man and has a dark skinned daughter. The other sister passes for white and lives a privileged life. Their stories...and the backstories of their forebears is told over a span of almost forty years, beginning in the 1950s. The novel has an arresting narrative and focuses on the choices people make, the secrets they hold and the consequences that unfold from this dynamic.

731 people found this helpful

J. Baker

Disappointing. Weak characters. Unanswered plot lines

Reviewed in the United States on 25 June 2020

Verified Purchase

The premise of the story about the twins lives got lost in many pages of LGBTQ trans issues. It was like there was not enough going on with the sisters lives, the author felt it necessary to throw this red herring into the story. And I don’t say plot because it was not part of the plot. I was very intrigued about the lives of the sisters, but I got no satisfaction of what made them what they were. They just moved from one day to the next like they could not take charge of their lives. They each suffered a malaise that was similarly experienced but the author was too lazy to explore it. Ending was unsatisfying and abrupt.

Buying Options

Follow the Author

The Vanishing Half: Shortlisted for the Women's Prize 2021 Kindle Edition

Product description

Review

Book Description

Review

From the Inside Flap

About the Author

From the Publisher

From the Back Cover

Product details

About the author

Brit Bennett

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Customer reviews

Review this product

Reviews with images

Read reviews that mention

Top reviews from Australia

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries