The Vanishing Half

I was probably 1/3 into the book when I posted on Instagram that this book was probably going to be the best book I read in 2021.  Now that I have completed the book, do I still feel the same way?  Probably not.  Although the book was good, it will probably not be the best book I read this year…at least I hope not.

The Vines twins, Desiree and Stella, were born and raised in Mallard, Louisiana. Mallard is an interesting town, founded by a former slave who imagined each generation would be lighter skinned than the preceding generation. Knowing they didn’t have much of a future in Mallard, at the age of 16, the twins runaway to New Orleans where they quickly get jobs and an apartment. All is well for a while, until Stella leaves for work one day and never returns.  She has decided to live her life apart from her sister. She decides to live her life as a white woman.  You see, their skin color is so light that the twins can vacillate between two worlds- black and white.  Stella chooses white, while Desiree never leaves her black roots.  And that is the crust of the story, a set of identical twins living two completely different truths.

There is a wonderful cast of characters that come in and out of the twin’s lives.  The novel focuses on the choices that each twin makes.  Some good, some bad.  It takes almost 15 years for the twins to finally reunite.  Both have lived very different lives.  Stella finds it difficult to continue to denounce her black heritage and Desiree finds it difficult to understand and forgive sister.  

This is a captivating story about family, sisterhood, being true to oneself and finding your voice.  I did enjoy this book and have recommended it to numerous book clubs. The characters, setting and complex relationships make it a great book for discussion. 

There is a comprehensive book guide for your book club discussion at this website https://www.marmaladeandmustardseed.com/bookguidesblog/the-vanishing-half