by Brit Bennett
First published 2020
Sixteen-year-old African American twin sisters Desiree and Stella flee their small Louisiana town after witnessing their father's murder. One sister, Desiree, embraces her identity, while the other, Stella, passes as white. Their paths diverge as they navigate the complexities of race, family, and self-discovery across decades. At its heart, The Vanishing Half is an intimate portrait of the bond between the sisters and their struggle to reconcile their pasts.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, african-american, contemporary, family-drama, african-american-historical-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, sisters
Setting: Louisiana, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, UCLA
Period: 1950's, 1970's
400 pages · Paperback · Riverhead Books
Content warnings: racism