The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett Book Review

“Really enoyed it. Loved the characters. Felt I was learning a lot about a culture I knew nothing about. Made me think about prejudice amongst/within communities. Not too trite and neat at the end which I liked.”

 “A good story. Exploration of identity and the possibility of becoming someone else. Interesting exploration of twins becoming separate rather than having an unbreakable bond. Sad that Stella was destined to be lonely for ever but couldn’t break from her lie. Felt the end petered out a bit.”

“Really enjoyed it, couldn’t put it down. Finished it really quickly. Felt quite ignorant when I read it and read about the issues within communities. I was very invested in the characters so a bit disappointed with the ending – not sure what I wanted though.”

“Really liked the style of writing. Interesting exploration of those people marginalised by and within communities and how those marginalised find each other and find their place. Really interesting take on relationships, trust, identity and belonging. I felt that for most of the characters the ending was positive. The ending was all the more real for not being sentimental.”

“Not often that I don’t know what to say but I don’t have much to say. Found it difficult to place the characters in the time periods. Unfamiliarity of some of the language which was a slight barrier for me.”

Overall score 7.9

Range 6 – 9