4.75*
What an amazing journey I’ve been on. Not sightseeing, more like “eye opening” moments.
The Vanishing Half will not only enthrall you it will enlighten you.
Twins. One skin colour lighter than the the other. Living in a small village named Mallard.
Based around 1950’s and spanning down to 1990’s.
Just why did these identical twins get split up when running away?
What made them run?
How did one twins life take a course so far in type to their peer?
One sister living a totally black persons life while the other “passing” for white and whites privilegies.
There is racism, there is hate.
The sisters had their school life halted due to a difference in everyday life, they’re mama needed them to work, to bring in money.
Running took the sisters on totally different paths.
One having different relationships and experiences.
The other marrying a white man who thought he had married a white woman.
Both these sisters went on to have a daughter of their own.
There are lots and lots of moments in this story I’d like to share, but, I’d prefer you to experience them whilst reading this book yourself.
I remember the times when cemeteries were split. Deceased white people on one part of the land and black diseased on the other. The upkeep of the graves were done on the white side, but not the black.
It touches on history here.
But the reunion of the sisters I would have loved more emotional, and to see what happened if here husband learnt of the truth or not that she was indeed black.
I’d love a book 2 on this. Following through the next generation.
I’ve not read The Mothers by this author but I’m looking straight at it on my bookshelf so I’m definitely going to be reading that before 2020 has ended.
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Populäraste recensionerna från andra länder
read-along-with-sue
So well written
Granskad i Storbritannien den 8 juli 2020Verifierat köp
So well written
Granskad i Storbritannien den 8 juli 2020
4.75*Granskad i Storbritannien den 8 juli 2020
What an amazing journey I’ve been on. Not sightseeing, more like “eye opening” moments.
The Vanishing Half will not only enthrall you it will enlighten you.
Twins. One skin colour lighter than the the other. Living in a small village named Mallard.
Based around 1950’s and spanning down to 1990’s.
Just why did these identical twins get split up when running away?
What made them run?
How did one twins life take a course so far in type to their peer?
One sister living a totally black persons life while the other “passing” for white and whites privilegies.
There is racism, there is hate.
The sisters had their school life halted due to a difference in everyday life, they’re mama needed them to work, to bring in money.
Running took the sisters on totally different paths.
One having different relationships and experiences.
The other marrying a white man who thought he had married a white woman.
Both these sisters went on to have a daughter of their own.
There are lots and lots of moments in this story I’d like to share, but, I’d prefer you to experience them whilst reading this book yourself.
I remember the times when cemeteries were split. Deceased white people on one part of the land and black diseased on the other. The upkeep of the graves were done on the white side, but not the black.
It touches on history here.
But the reunion of the sisters I would have loved more emotional, and to see what happened if here husband learnt of the truth or not that she was indeed black.
I’d love a book 2 on this. Following through the next generation.
I’ve not read The Mothers by this author but I’m looking straight at it on my bookshelf so I’m definitely going to be reading that before 2020 has ended.
Bilder i den här recensionen
Lindsey
Amazing Storyteller
Granskad i Storbritannien den 18 juni 2020Verifierat köp
Anika May
The Vanishing Half is a magnetic slow-burner of a novel. A must-read!
Granskad i Storbritannien den 28 augusti 2020Verifierat köp
The Vanishing Half is a magnetic slow-burner of a novel. A must-read!
Granskad i Storbritannien den 28 augusti 2020
The beginning of the book introduces Mallard, a small town just 2 hours outside New Orleans. But it’s a very unique town. The community, although black, prides themselves on having light skin. They are too dark to be white, but to light to be black. Mallard was built to be the place in-between. And each generation gets lighter. One day, the twins decide to run away from this claustrophobic town. Split into six parts, the story begins in 1968 when one twin returns and captivatingly navigates through the years.Granskad i Storbritannien den 28 augusti 2020
From the introduction of the town and the characters, Brit Bennett establishes the turmoil that comes with a conflicted sense of identity. In the book, dark skin is undesirable, even detestable. And there’s a very similar narrative in the world we live in today. It’s an intergenerational issue that continues to poison humanity. Growing up in an environment that worships light skin has damaging effects on those who don’t fit the mould. I love the questions this book forces the reader to ask, as it evaluates what really makes a person’s identity.
That concept is perfectly presented in the judgements and insecurities of the characters. It’s evident in Desiree and Stella, who make their choices based on the traumatic events of their childhood as well as society’s polluted view of dark skin. Desiree, the rebellious and outspoken twin, marries a dark-skinned man and continues to identify as a black woman. Whereas Stella, who is fascinated with the advantages that comes with lighter skin, marries a white man, and choses to live a lie by pretending to be white. But their choices have far-reaching effects on their children.
Kennedy, Stella’s daughter, grows up in a world of privilege with blonde hair and violet eyes. While Jude, Desiree’s daughter, is alienated in a racist society with skin darker than many have ever seen. Their lives run on completely different tracks, yet Bennett weaves them together so exquisitely. As a result, the novel grows more and more compelling with each chapter.
Each character in this novel is constructed in such a mesmerising way. As the plot constantly moves forward, the characters move effortlessly with it. They’re three-dimensional, with flaws and mistakes that make it easy to attach to them. As a reader, you get to know the protagonists from childhood and observe their growth throughout the years. With an immovable foundation set, the lives of the women are woven together in a mosaic of events. In my opinion, the journey and the back-and-forth is the most enjoyable part of the reading experience. This book is simply a spectacular story that has been beautifully told.
A new layer is added to every chapter of the book with a tantalisingly slow suspense. Whether it’s another secret Stella has buried, or another challenge Desiree has pushed out of her way. That pattern is also echoed in Kennedy and Jude as they try to navigate adulthood. Like their mothers, they too question their history and identity, albeit in very different ways.
The perspectives from different characters really helps the progress of the narrative throwing away the entertainment. The novel could easily rely on dialogue to maintain a flow, but it’s the hopes, thoughts, and anxieties of the characters that holds the action and excitement. It doesn’t drag for a single moment. And with Bennett’s additive voice, it’s a really hard book to put down.
In reality, the summary of this book doesn’t provide even a quarter of the complex journey within its pages. It explores powerful themes such as race, class, freedom and family. And with an undeniable depth, The Vanishing Half is both thought-provoking, inspiring and heart-breaking. I’m not sure whether the title refers to losing a twin, or losing yourself. The characters seem to experience both. Either way, it’s a truly enchanting and insightful read that all should experience.
Anika | chaptersofmay.com
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Louise Baillache
Good book!
Granskad i Storbritannien den 25 augusti 2020Verifierat köp
Good book!
Granskad i Storbritannien den 25 augusti 2020
The book is amazing in the way it weaves themes of race, gender and identity in the stories of the multiple characters across different time periods to explore the nuances of racial and class identity. One thing I would say is that this book wasnt fully engaging in that the story didnt keep you wanting to know more!Granskad i Storbritannien den 25 augusti 2020
The story is about two identical twin sisters, inseparable as children, who grow up to live completely separate and different lives in different worlds: one black and one white. The twins leave their home town when they are young to escape their town and start new lives. Many years later one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape and is trying to find her sister. The other sister, Stella, secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. However, despite the distance between the two sisters their lives become intertwined after many years when their daughter’s storylines intersect.
One thing to note is that this isnt a happy story. Both twins witnessed the lynching of their father by the white residents of their small town. Stella was never fully happy because she was always worrying about someone finding out about her ‘secret’ past. Her daughter was equally unhappy because she felt lost and didn’t know who she was. The other twin wasn’t happy because she felt like she didn’t make it and had to return home, she was in an emotionally and physically abusive marriage and felt abandoned by her sister. Her daughter wasn’t happy growing up in the small town, being isolated and mistreated because of her dark skin.
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Gemma Wright
Fascinating and well written
Granskad i Storbritannien den 21 augusti 2020Verifierat köp