Book Review: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet

Written by Grace Hessian

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The Vanishing Half is a historical fiction story set between 1968 and 1986. It follows Desiree and Stella Vignes, two twins who have grown up in a fictional small town in Louisiana where everyone is fixated on light skin. The Vignes twins (and most of the town) are Black and white-passing and so when the twins run away from their town at sixteen years old, Stella begins to pretend she is a white woman. Eventually, Stella and Desiree lose touch and live separate lives across the country. The story follows multiple points of view such as Stella and Desiree themselves, as well as their daughters, partners and mother. The story skillfully discusses race and gender and, using the different points of view, show people’s hidden desires and guilts and how other people perceive them. Stella is largely absent from the first part of the story and so when her story begins to unravel, monologues from their respective families and clever clues reveal how she and Desiree managed to lose each other and how they feel about this disconnection. 

The story could be considered slow-moving as it largely focuses on the character’s pasts and commentary on their current lives. Action and drama are largely limited to character interactions and plot twists as past events come to light. If you enjoy in-depth character stories or coming-of-age plots then I highly recommend this story!