The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
I am not really sure what made me decide to select this book for my Book of the Month, but I am so glad that I did. The Vanishing Half is a beautiful multi-generational story that looks at the intersections of race, identity, belonging and love. It follows a family as they go their separate ways and decide what kind of lives they want to live.
“How real was a person if you could shed her in a thousand miles”
One of my favorite things about this book was the many different ways that it explored the idea of “passing”. It showed the privilege and challenges that arise from how people perceive your race, your gender, your sexuality, and anything else. The book beautifully painted the conflict between how society views you and how you view yourself.
This book features a diverse group of characters, without it ever feeling forced. It covers difficult topics like racism, sex work, transphobia, homophobia and abuse, but it never feels preachy. This balance can be really difficult to achieve, but Brit Bennett completely nailed it.
Overall, this is a book that I can see myself going back and reading again. I enjoyed every second of it and it left me thinking for days.
English
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