The Vanishing Half: A GMA Book Club Pick (a Novel)

By Brit Bennett

Book Overview

#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

New York Times Readers Pick: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

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.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525536299
• ISBN13: 9780525536291
• Release Date: June 2020
• Publisher: Riverhead Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.27 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Book of the Year

Reminds me of the movie "Imitation of Life". This was an excellent read, which tells the story of how we want to be accepted and recognized in society, and believing from childhood that being white provides a better life. I could see myself in this novel, the discrimination, lies and deception of who we really are and how others see us. This was an excellent read. Kudos to Ms. Bennett who has written a wonderful novel.

One of the best books I’ve read in recent years

This book is so beautifully written. So much is said in ways other than words in this novel. The story lines intersecting through time and space weave such a fascinating tale and the shifting focus on various characters throughout different decades makes the story so much more captivating and fascinating. This book touches on topics of race, gender, class, and what it truly means to be family. I loved this one!

Once I opened this book, I couldn't put it down

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett is a captivating novel that looks into the issues of race, identity, and family. Bennett beautifully weaves together three generations of a family across different locations. The story follows the lives of three generations of the Vignes family. A predominantly white-passing family based in the Deep South. After years of separation, we can see how each branch differed from another. The book also explores the lasting influence of the past on a person's decisions. The book is a beautiful exploration of the American idea of "passing." There is also a range of issues that Vanishing Half covers. Vanishing Half also goes into hard topics such as domestic violence, integration, and LGBTQ+ issues, among others. Through time, characters, and topics, it's quite an ambitious book. Vanishing Half is an easy-to-read and breeze-through novel. Yet, my issue with the book is that sometimes the pacing and depth of the book can leave more to be desired. Some issues and topics are brushed over. When there is about to be a breakthrough on a particular topic or development, the plot moves on. While exposure to such topics was appreciated, Bennet could have delivered more depth. 3.5/5. Rounded to 4/5. While the book itself was enjoyable, it can leave the reader wanting more. The ambition in the breadth was there yet impossible to cover in depth in 400 pages. Still, it's a good novel for those interested in historical fiction, race, and family dramas.

A page turner

It’s been a while since I’ve been engaged in a book and this one definitely brought me back. I really loved the way it felt like it was real story although it was fiction. I can’t wait to see how HBO Max brings this to life.

Amazing

This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire read.