The Vanishing Half

The Vanishing Half is a 2020 novel by Brit Bennett. It is her second novel and was published by Riverhead Books. It debuted at number one on The New York Times fiction best-seller list. HBO acquired the rights to develop a limited series with Bennett as executive producer. The Vanishing Half garnered acclaim from book critics, and was found by Emily Temple of Literary Hub to be the 2020 book most frequently listed among the year's best, making 25 lists.[2]

The Vanishing Half
Cover of first edition
AuthorBrit Bennett
Audio read byShayna Small[1]
Cover artistLauren Peters-Collaer
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre
PublisherRiverhead Books
Publication date
June 2, 2020
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback), e-book, audiobook
Pages352
ISBN978-0-525-53629-1 (hardcover)
OCLC1119471005
813/.6
LC ClassPS3602.E66444 V36 2020

Synopsis

The novel is a multi-generational family saga set between the 1940s to the 1990s and centers on identical twin sisters Desiree and Stella Vignes. The two light-skinned black sisters were raised in Mallard, Louisiana, and witness the lynching of their father in the 1940s. In 1954, at the age of 16, the twins run away to New Orleans. However, Stella disappears shortly thereafter. In 1968, Desiree leaves an abusive marriage in Washington, D.C. and returns to Mallard with her eight-year-old daughter, Jude. Jude grows older and moves to Los Angeles through a track scholarship at University of California, Los Angeles. While working part time as a caterer in Beverly Hills, Jude sees a woman who appears to be her mother's doppelgänger. The woman is actually Stella, who has been passing as white.

The novel has a nonlinear narrative structure.[3]

Publication

The novel debuted at number one on The New York Times fiction best-seller list.[4] As of September 6, 2020, the novel has spent 12 weeks on the list.[5]

Reception

At the review aggregator website Book Marks, which assigns individual ratings to book reviews from mainstream literary critics, the novel received a cumulative "Rave" rating based on 38 reviews, with only one "mixed" review.[6]

Publishers Weekly wrote, "Bennett renders her characters and their struggles with great compassion, and explores the complicated state of mind that Stella finds herself in while passing as white."[7]

In its starred review, Kirkus Reviews wrote, "The scene in which Stella adopts her white persona is a tour de force of doubling and confusion."[8]

The Washington Post called The Vanishing Half a "fierce examination of contemporary passing and the price so many pay for a new identity".[9]

The New York Times wrote, "Bennett balances the literary demands of dynamic characterisation with the historical and social realities of her subject matter."[10]

Television adaptation

Within a month of publication it was reported that HBO had acquired the rights for "low seven-figures" to develop a limited series with Brit Bennett as executive producer.[11]

Awards and honors

References
  1. "The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett". Penguin Random House Audio. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  2. Temple, Emily (2020-12-15). "The Ultimate Best Books of 2020 List". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  3. Hayden, Joanne (June 15, 2020). "The Vanishing Half: Indelible tale of race and 'passing' for white". The Irish Times. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  4. "Combined Print & E-Book Fiction - Best Sellers". The New York Times. June 21, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  5. "Combined Print & E-Book Fiction - Best Sellers". The New York Times. September 6, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  6. "Book Marks reviews of The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett". Book Marks. Literary Hub. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  7. "Fiction Book Review: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett". Publishers Weekly. February 18, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  8. "The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett". Kirkus Reviews. March 15, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  9. Page, Lisa (June 1, 2020). "Brit Bennett's 'The Vanishing Half' is a fierce examination of passing and the price people pay for a new identity". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  10. "11 New Books We Recommend This Week". The New York Times. 2020-06-04. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  11. Fleming Jr, Mike (June 29, 2020). "HBO Wins 'The Vanishing Half' Auction In 7-Figure Deal; 17 Bidders Pursued Brit Bennett Bestseller". Deadline. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  12. "The 2020 National Book Awards Longlist: Fiction". The New Yorker. September 18, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  13. "Prix Médicis : Éric Reinhardt, Camille de Toledo et Hervé Le Tellier dans la deuxième sélection, Emmanuel Carrère n'y figure plus". France Info (in French). 3 October 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  14. "2021 Winners". Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  15. "The 10 Best Books of 2020". The New York Times. 2020-11-23. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  16. "Best Books of 2020". Goodreads. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
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