The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett is set in a southern black community where most of those living there were of lighter skin.
From the cover:
The Vignes sisters (Desiree and Stella) 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 including their racial identities. . . an exploration of race, gender and identity.
The Vignes sisters (Desiree and Stella) 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 including their racial identities. . . an exploration of race, gender and identity.
My thoughts:
Sadly, each of these characters was not content with who they were and instead tried to be someone else (race or gender) which resulted in distancing themselves from their families and support groups and left them with constantly telling lies and living with the fear of being found out.
(spoiler alerts)
The story begins in the 1950s where Desiree and Stella had experienced a horrific experience when their black father was dragged from the house by a group of white men and killed. The twins ran away from home as teenagers and while in New Orleans Stella found a secretarial job. She discovered that by not acknowledging her black roots and identifying as white (passing over), she could make more money, but in the process she had to disconnect from her sister and family, eventually marrying a white man. Desiree married an abusive black man and her child, Jude, was very dark. She left her husband and returned to Mallard but when Jude left to attend college she began a relationship with a girl who wanted to be a boy.
The story begins in the 1950s where Desiree and Stella had experienced a horrific experience when their black father was dragged from the house by a group of white men and killed. The twins ran away from home as teenagers and while in New Orleans Stella found a secretarial job. She discovered that by not acknowledging her black roots and identifying as white (passing over), she could make more money, but in the process she had to disconnect from her sister and family, eventually marrying a white man. Desiree married an abusive black man and her child, Jude, was very dark. She left her husband and returned to Mallard but when Jude left to attend college she began a relationship with a girl who wanted to be a boy.
