The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

****4.0****
Here we meet “creamy skinned, hazel eyed” identical twins, Stella and Desiree Vignes. They are from a town called Mallard (a fictional town) inhabited by light-skinned African Americans. Stella is bookish and always behind her twin. Desiree is more headstrong and spirited. They run off from home when their mother wants them to start working and stop having an education. They end up in New Orleans. They find jobs to keep themselves afloat.

“In the dark, you could never be too black. In the dark, everyone was the same color.”

Stella passes as a White to get a secretary job and soon deserts Desiree. And heartbroken Desiree goes on with her life but still gets in touch with her mother from time to time. Stella just vanishes into her so called White lady life.

“The only difference between lying and acting was whether your audience was in on it, but it was all a performance just the same.”

In their 20’s , Desiree is back at Mallard with her daughter Jude and Stella is a white housewife with a daughter Kennedy. A decade later, coincedently, Jude ,dark-skinned caterer and Kennedy ,golden-haired customer, meet at a cocktail party. They are ignorant of each other but slowly piece together the puzzle of their mothers’ relationship.

“Gratitude only emphasized the depth of your lack,”

Well written with engrossing plot and richly detailed settings. A wonderful read.

Happy Reading!!

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