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A review by scsreads
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
5.0
I knew from the first page that I was going to love this book. I don't say this often, but I think this book is a must read for everyone.
The story follows twin girls growing up in a small Southern town named Mallard, where a community of light-skinned Black people have settled down. The twins yearn to escape and decide to run away together. Not too long after, they split up when one twin decides to leave everything behind and pass as a white woman.
The idea of "passing" is so fascinating to me. I can't imagine the strain it would have on someone who is passing long-term. I also can't imagine the difficulty of leaving everything behind and reinventing yourself completely, but luckily Brit Bennett has imagined it for us.
Bennett is a true storyteller and the writing in this book is brilliant. I was engrossed from start to finish as she skillfully wove this story through multiple decades and generations of this family. Honestly, I'm grateful that I got to go along on the journey and experience the richness of this book.
I like to look for characters that are fully realized, and for me, these characters jumped off the page. I could see their interactions playing out in my mind, crystal clear. I think Jude was my favorite character, as I related to her the most- her experience being dark and feeling that perhaps she is less than, because that's the message the world is giving her, even her own community in Mallard, who shun and tease and bully her.
My goodness, there are so many important themes discussed in this book. Let's start with race, with one twin deciding to pass as white, because she knows that as white woman, she'll have more freedom and opportunities. But to gain that freedom, she has to give up everything that she had before, and everyone who loved and truly knew her. Was it worth it?
It also discussed white privilege, along with colorism and growing up in a town of Black people who feed into the narrative that dark-skinned Black people are lazy, criminal, up to no good. Bennett also explores mother-daughter relationships and the relationship between the twin sisters. Their identities as young girls are entirely wrapped up in each other, so when one of them leaves, they are fragmented and each twin has to rebuild herself.
I feel like I could go on and on and on about this book, and specific scenes and quotes that struck me to the core. I thought that THE MOTHERS was an excellent book, but I feel that Bennett has surpassed herself here. I know I will be thinking about these characters and this story for a long time. The TL;DR version of my review: this. book. is. amazing. Read it now!
//
Wow wow wow wow, what a book. I loved it! This is a must read. Full review to come when I’m able to gather my thoughts.
The story follows twin girls growing up in a small Southern town named Mallard, where a community of light-skinned Black people have settled down. The twins yearn to escape and decide to run away together. Not too long after, they split up when one twin decides to leave everything behind and pass as a white woman.
The idea of "passing" is so fascinating to me. I can't imagine the strain it would have on someone who is passing long-term. I also can't imagine the difficulty of leaving everything behind and reinventing yourself completely, but luckily Brit Bennett has imagined it for us.
Bennett is a true storyteller and the writing in this book is brilliant. I was engrossed from start to finish as she skillfully wove this story through multiple decades and generations of this family. Honestly, I'm grateful that I got to go along on the journey and experience the richness of this book.
I like to look for characters that are fully realized, and for me, these characters jumped off the page. I could see their interactions playing out in my mind, crystal clear. I think Jude was my favorite character, as I related to her the most- her experience being dark and feeling that perhaps she is less than, because that's the message the world is giving her, even her own community in Mallard, who shun and tease and bully her.
My goodness, there are so many important themes discussed in this book. Let's start with race, with one twin deciding to pass as white, because she knows that as white woman, she'll have more freedom and opportunities. But to gain that freedom, she has to give up everything that she had before, and everyone who loved and truly knew her. Was it worth it?
It also discussed white privilege, along with colorism and growing up in a town of Black people who feed into the narrative that dark-skinned Black people are lazy, criminal, up to no good. Bennett also explores mother-daughter relationships and the relationship between the twin sisters. Their identities as young girls are entirely wrapped up in each other, so when one of them leaves, they are fragmented and each twin has to rebuild herself.
I feel like I could go on and on and on about this book, and specific scenes and quotes that struck me to the core. I thought that THE MOTHERS was an excellent book, but I feel that Bennett has surpassed herself here. I know I will be thinking about these characters and this story for a long time. The TL;DR version of my review: this. book. is. amazing. Read it now!
//
Wow wow wow wow, what a book. I loved it! This is a must read. Full review to come when I’m able to gather my thoughts.