In 'The Vanishing Half,' Brit Bennett explores the divergent paths of identical twin sisters, Stella and Desiree, who choose to live in starkly different worlds. After growing up in a small, racially segregated Southern town, Stella decides to pass as white, while Desiree returns home after years away, embracing her identity. Their decisions set off a cascade of events that impact not only their own lives but also their daughters', as they grapple with the legacies of race and identity. As their stories unfold, Bennett weaves a rich tapestry of love, loss, and the complexities of belonging. This captivating narrative challenges readers to reflect on the nature of self and the societal forces that shape us.
By Brit Bennett
Published: 2020
"We are not all who we seem, nor are we all where we belong."
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2020 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES * THE WASHINGTON POST * NPR * PEOPLE * TIME MAGAZINE* VANITY FAIR * GLAMOUR 2021 WOMEN'S PRIZE FINALIST “Bennett’s tone and style recalls James Baldwin and Jacqueline Woodson, but it’s especially reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s 1970 debut novel, The Bluest Eye.” —Kiley Reid, Wall Street Journal “A story of absolute, universal timelessness …For any era, it's an accomplished, affecting novel. For this moment, it's piercing, subtly wending its way toward questions about who we are and who we want to be….” – Entertainment Weekly From The New York Times-bestselling author of The Mothers, a stunning new novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white. 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. Many 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' storylines 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. As with her New York Times-bestselling debut The Mothers, Brit Bennett offers an engrossing page-turner about family and relationships that is immersive and provocative, compassionate and wise.
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“We are not all who we seem, nor are we all where we belong.”
The Vanishing Half
By Brit Bennett
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Brit Bennett is an acclaimed American author known for her poignant storytelling and exploration of complex themes such as identity, race, and family. She gained widespread recognition with her debut novel, "The Mothers," followed by her bestselling second novel, "The Vanishing Half," which was a finalist for the National Book Award and has garnered critical and commercial acclaim. Bennett's writing style is characterized by its lyrical prose and deep character development, allowing readers to engage with the emotional intricacies of her characters' lives. Her work frequently addresses the intersections of personal and communal histories, offering insights into the ways in which our pasts shape our present.
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