The Vanishing Half
BOOK REVIEW
Synopsis *from Amazon*
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.
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The Vanishing Half tells the story of multiple captivating characters, but I loved none as deeply as I loved Jude and Reese. This is potentially my favourite love story to ever be written. Their unconditional acceptance of one another is a story that could change the world if enough people heard it and truly listened.
The Vanishing Half is a must read for those who want to know better and do better in today’s society. It’s an important narrative that I found myself laying across my bed with my husband discussing the pure disbelief and pain I felt towards certain storylines and characters' experiences.
Brit Bennett deserves all the praise she received in 2020 for being a bit of light and education in an otherwise dirty year