Bennett, Brit: The Vanishing Half

‘A bold, skilful storyteller . . . a novel that deftly rehearses the history of prejudice and suffering leading up to the present moment. It‘s a clever balancing act indeed to pair such heartbreaking material with a narrative that‘s so much fun‘ Claire Lowdon, Sunday Times Stella and Desiree are identical twins, growing up together in a small, Southern black community. Until, at age sixteen, they run away . . . Years later, everything about their lives is different: their families, communities and racial identities. One sister lives with her black daughter in the same Southern town she once tried to escape. The other sister secretly passes as white, and her husband knows nothing of her past. Still, separated by many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen in the next generation, when their own daughters‘ storylines intersect? ‘ The Vanishing Half is an utterly mesmerising novel. It seduces with its literary flair, surprises with its breath-taking plot twists, delights with its psychological insights, and challenges us to consider the corrupting consequences of racism on different communities and individual lives. I absolutely loved this book‘ Bernardine Evaristo