book review : vanishing half

Genre: Historical Fiction

Reading age: 13+

Rating: 7/10

You’ll like this if you’ve read: Remembered by Yvonne Battle-Felton

Since Barack Obama said Vanishing Half was one of his favourite books, I’ve had my eye on the story of the Vignes twins and when I finally entered their world, I wasn’t disappointed.

It was refreshing to read a historical fiction about race in America that didn’t feel too familiar to me. Although we’re all very aware of the context in which these characters lived, it was interesting to learn about the act of passing over which I hadn’t come across much before. The story touches on various depths of race struggles post slavery, most notably colourism existing within black communities. 

In a small Louisianan town called Mallard, all its residents have fair skin, and the town remains that way as the town people only mix with other light skinned black people. The main storyline follows the lives of twin sisters Desiree and Stella Vignes who grew up in this town, traumatised by the realities of being black despite their fair complexion.

This town is a clear example of the dividing mindset slavery caused, where those darker skinned were made to work on the farm and those lighter skinned were often allowed to work in the home. The irony is that those with lighter skin were usually a product of rape yet black people were led to believe that having whiteness in their blood was something to be proud of. But when push comes to shove, having a mere speck of black in you means a lot more than having any part of white in you. 

The story fluctuates between the past and the present, following the lives of characters who impact the twins, such as their children and their love interests. For this reason, the story can be slightly difficult to follow at times and the main plot is a pretty slow burner. However Bennett's focus on each character’s individual back story creates the foundation of a domino effect where it almost feels inevitable for them to cross paths. I believe a big reason for this is because Bennett wants to highlight the importance of companionship and how part of being is belonging to others. Additionally, the intergenerational aspect of the story sparks a nature vs nurture debate as we see many similarities in the twins’ children and their aunties despite leading different lives. 

The story is an interesting read for someone who enjoys the psychology behind the way people behave and the extent desperation can take you. As someone who is black and sees blackness as more than just race, it is difficult to understand how someone can choose to be black or not. Bennett does a good job relating this to other aspects of self identification such as sexual orientation. Ultimately, to me this is a story ridiculing the way we box people into fickle categories that have no real beginning or end - it exposes the fluidity of being a human. 

Buy it here: https://amzn.eu/d/boi1ZYK