Review: The Vanishing Half

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book! I chose it as my June Book of the Month selection because it got high ratings and because it was a 'sisters' story—a category I usually enjoy. I did enjoy this book, but I wouldn't really call it a 'sister' story because there was very little interaction between the sisters.
These were twins, with one growing up and choosing to pass as white, and the other retaining her identity as black. Though this book was set a generation and more back, the story very timely, showing the inherent 'privilege' enjoyed by white people. I found it interesting that in the community the sisters grew up in, light-skinned blacks were valued and dark-skinned blacks were not.
I was a little bit disappointed in the ending because I am a fan of 'happily-ever-after' and didn't quite get that. I also felt like the ending was a little incomplete—I wanted to know more about what happened to the characters. But that was a minor thing, and it was still a good book with a realistic ending.
One thing I really enjoyed about the book is the writing. The author had a way of expressing ideas that made me happy to read. Here are just a couple of quotes to illustrate...

When talking about ignoring the past...
"How she felt that you could flick away history like shrugging a hand off your shoulder."

And when describing that although the twin were identical and difficult to tell apart when young, they matured into different people...
"As they grew, they no longer seemed like one body split in two, but two bodies poured into one, each pulling it her own way."

This would make a great book club selection. The book is a quick, easy read, but has lots of 'meat'; topics to discuss. Pick this one up and enjoy!

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