The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

 

July 1, 2020 (by Tara Repucci)

Bookstagram hyped this one with as much excitement as a child splashing around in a puddle after a Spring shower, and they were right. I devoured it. ALL THE STARS! The Mothers is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to debut novels, no question, but you can quote me when I say this: The Vanishing Half is better. Brit Bennett makes you feel like you’re a light-skinned girl in Louisiana during the 1940s, and a handsome cowboy born in the wrong body, and a young actress taking center stage, all searching for another life while beating back the past. Read this when you are in the mood for a multi-generational family saga that explores the lingering, upcoming and ongoing issues of race and bigotry as well as the malignant effect of secrets. It is The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison meets A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza.

Best paired with grits swirled with butter, thick pancakes sopping with syrup and lemon cake with vanilla frosting. XO, Tara

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