The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

 

What is your favorite book or movie about twin sisters?  I’ve always been intrigued by twins, which must be why I loved the Sweet Valley Twins so much. 

 The Vanishing Half was the February Pick for the Rogue (aka FLICKS) Book Club, and it was an intriguing book to discuss.  The Vanishing Half spans the era from the 1950s to around 1990.  Desiree and Stella Vignes are twin sisters that grow up in the small town of Mallard, Louisiana.  The town prides itself as being populated with very light skinned African Americans.  When Desiree and Stella disappear one day, the town is shocked, but even more so when Desiree reappears fourteen years later without her sister.  Where was Desiree at?  What happened to Stella?  Where is the father of Desiree’s child, Jude?

 I thought the book was fascinating and it gave me a lot to think about.  I loved the nonlinear storytelling, and the beautiful writing.  There was enough mystery that I just kept wanting to read and see what happened.  I cared for the characters and wanted to see how their stories played out.  There were a lot of secrets and trying to figure out what is the best life for you. Desiree decides to return home and take care of her mother, but she also finds true love in an unexpected place.  Stella decides to leave her family forever and to pass as a white person.  She lives her life always hoping that no one will guess her secret.  Jude grows up and attends college on a track scholarship.  She meets and falls in love with Reese, who has secrets of his own.  Jude also meets her cousin, Kennedy, who does not know her Mother Stella’s secret.  The way that everyone’s lives intertwine was captivating.

 As a mother, I was sad at the numerous characters that had to cut off ties with their families to live their best lives.  I can’t imagine never seeing my children again.  I could empathize with the characters though and know why they did it.  The book does have you wonder though, was it better to live a life as someone else or to live a life true to yourself?  I think Desiree was happier as her true self, but Stella had a more luxurious and safe life.

 I’m still thinking about this book over a week later.  I need to check out more books by author Brit Bennett.

 Also, as I’m always looking for engineers in books – I was happy to see that a line about a character’s ex-girlfriends included, “Hannah, the engineer, studying how to improve sanitation in poor countries.  Kennedy had imagined a frumpy girl wading through sewage, not this perky blonde on the subway, perfectly balanced in her five-inch boots.”  This is my line of engineering and I love that the author made the engineer sexy!

 Favorite Quotes:

 “She’d always known that it was possible to be two different people in one lifetime, or maybe it was only possible from some.  Maybe others were just stuck with who they were.”

 “This big ol’ world and we only get to go through it once.  The saddest thing there is, you ask me.”

 “At first, passing seemed so simple, she couldn’t understand why her parents hadn’t done it.  But she was young then.  She hadn’t realized how long it takes to become somebody else, or how lonely it can be living in a world not meant for you.”

 “This river, like all rivers, remembered its course.  They floated under the leafy canopy of trees, begging to forget.”

 Overall, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett is an intriguing look into racial and gender identity and a fascinating story of a family.  It was a beautifully written novel.

 Book Source:  Purchased from Amazon.com during a buy two get one free deal!