![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() It's really well written and the story zips along - I wasn't sure about the back and forth between the characters to begin with, but it works in covering the passing of time. I got hooked pretty early, wanting to know more about the strange town of Mallard with it’s own system of racial purity, and the lives of the two girls. It ask big questions - what can cause a person to renege on their identity and their family background - can you uproot yourself completely like that? It’s an extremely thought provoking and timely book, and of course the past plays a huge part here, and there’s an act of racial violence that takes place early on the shapes the twins childhood. There are a lot of different layers, allowing Brit Bennett to explore the complex society in which the characters live. What is most interesting in ‘The vanishing half’ is the compare and contrast of Race, Gender and Class. Their fortunes are contrasting and we also see how it affects the next generation. Whilst Desiree’s choices see her ultimately stuck in a dead end, Stella walks out on her to make a different choice - she is going to live her life as a white woman. ![]() In ‘The vanishing half’ by Britt Bennett, twin sisters Stella and Desiree Vignes run away from the town of Mallard, with its population of light skinned black people, to New Orleans, their paths take very different courses. ![]()
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