Review
I loved how Bennett explores the concepts of belonging and family * Cosmopolitan * Bennett tells the story of the girls' diverging trajectories in rich, elegant prose; you can literally swirl the words in your mouth * Evening Standard * Arguably the book of the summer, Bennett's second novel is a page-turning saga of race and family * The i * Bennett imbues her characters with immense heart, and does a great job of depicting their lives through the years. Even better, she works hard to draw resonances throughout her thoughtful and compassionate tale, looking at the dubious history of the Vignes girls' lineage, as well as the difficulties and struggles of their children as they stride forward into the world. There is a simple lyrical quality to Bennett's prose that evokes an entire place and time in just a few well-balanced sentences, and the way she treats all her characters with respect and care makes The Vanishing Half an engaging and thought-provoking read on every level * Big Issue * The intricacies of identity, of "shadeism" between differently skin-toned African-Americans, of white privilege are skilfully pursued in this poignant and clever multigenerational saga about race in America * The Times * A thought-provoking read about identity and gender -- Zoe West * Women's Weekly * A gorgeously rich, sweeping saga * Evening Standard * Bennett has been described as a successor to the likes of Toni Morrison and Zora Neale Hurston, and The Vanishing Half promises an absorbing exploration of race, family and the American history of "passing" -- Refinery29 An absorbing read that stays with you long after you've closed its pages * Herald * A triumph of empathetic storytelling . . . A terrific novel -- Claire Allfree * Daily Mail * Epic and unforgettable * Hello! * Beautifully written * Bella * It's intensely emotional and gorgeously written, with timely insights into the poison of racism * Sunday Mirror * The omniscient authorial voice is gentle and compassionate in a tale that inverts and confounds expectations . . . cleverly constructed to both match and critique the conservativism of the 1950s and 60s : the attenuated tone chimes with the restrained language and style of the period. Ultimately, it's a quietly damning account of acquiescing to an imitation of life and the delusion of the American dream -- Colin Grant * Observer * Bennett's wonderful novel tackles race and identity in the US, as the Vignes twins, Desiree and Stella, who choose very different paths through life * The i * Bennett's second novel is an expertly plotted and empathetic exploration of race, identity and colourism in the tradition of Toni Morrison. * Guardian * Bennett explores the multiple ways in which race and gender can be authentic, permeable and socially constructed all at once, without ever passing judgment on her characters. Combining a mythic structure with emotionally rich social realism, this is a truly excellent novel -- Claire Allfree * Daily Mail * Fluent and openhearted . . . In a style as easy and candid as a detective story, Bennett scatters clues for us to gather just as, crucially, the twins' contrasting daughters, Jude and Kennedy, piece together fragments of their painful heritage -- Maria Crawford * Financial Times * A must-read . . . A tender story about race, family and identity * Best * Deft, dazzling, many-layered, highly detailed and emotionally absorbing . . . [Bennett] unpicks the terrible, wonderful, inescapable threads that bind sisters across time, place and lies, and does so with poise, grace and breathtaking prose. A beautiful, important and timely book -- Ella Walker * Scotsman * A bold, skilful storyteller . . . a novel that deftly rehearses the history of prejudice and suffering leading up to the present moment. It's a clever balancing act indeed to pair such heartbreaking material with a narrative that's so much fun -- Claire Lowdon * Sunday Times * An entirely mesmerising novel * Psychologies * Fascinating and beautifully written * Good Housekeeping * A thought-provoking read * Woman & Home * Bennett is a gifted storyteller. This generous, humane novel has many merits, not least its engrossing plot and richly detailed settings -- Michael Donkor * Guardian * The Vanishing Half is one of this year's most anticipated books . . . Sweeping and ambitious . . . Combining an addictive story (it's perfect for book clubs ) with serious questions of racism, social expectations, lies, love and compassion - this is an unforgettable read * Stylist * This ticks all the boxes for me - enticing plot, memorable characters, all wrapped up in beautiful writing . . . an astounding book -- Nina Pottell * Prima * Stunning . . . seamless and suspenseful . . . engrossing and surprisingly apolitical . . . The result is a novel that reads effortlessly . . . There is tremendous, timeless wisdom here -- AV Club A lyrical mediation on identity, race and gender. Bennett explores the selves we choose to be, as well as the selves we have imposed on us with great empathy and precision. The Vanishing Half is a gorgeous, generous novel and written with true heart -- Elizabeth Day A novel about motherhood and race, incredibly clever and interrogates race with nuance . . . Compulsively readable . . . An incredible talent . . . a book to look forward to * The High Low podcast * The Vanishing Half is an immersive story about family, identity and belonging * Red * Bennett's mesmerising gem is a masterclass of moving storytelling. The Vanishing Half is also a thought provoking assessment of race and social politics in post-war America .. . The powerful plot twists will keep you gripped until the end * Independent * A powerful, tender family epic which reminds us directly and poignantly that things are not black and white * Louisa Young * Brit Bennett is a tremendous talent * Imbolo Mbue * The Vanishing Half does exactly what a great novel is meant to do. It fills you with questions, exposes you to realities you may never have thought of and of course keeps you up into the night reading. The characters in this book are so real, so warm and so very complicated. I loved every part of it, even when it was making me sad or angry. It's just such a beautiful story -- Luan Goldie The detail and the feeling showcased in every sentence Brit Bennett writes is breathtaking. The Vanishing Half is a novel that shows just how human emotion, uncertainty and longing can be captured and put on paper * Candice Carty-Williams * Superb. A gorgeously immersive novel. It deftly explores the dichotomies of twinship, passing and class in America * Irenosen Okojie * An impressive and arresting novel. Perceptive in its insights and poised in execution, this is an important, timely examination of the impact of race on personality, experience and relationships * Diana Evans * A potent, generous, and masterful novel. Bennett is a humane and supple story-teller we are lucky to have * Olivia Sudjic * The Vanishing Half should mark the induction of Brit Bennett into the small group of likely successors to Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston and Nella Larsen. I read it torn between competing urges: I wanted to greedily turn the pages, yet I also wanted to savour every word, lingering as long as I could with the delicious feeling of being sunk so deep into the story that every time I set the book aside it felt like coming up for air. Compelling, compassionate and astonishingly good * Sara Collins * A novel of immense, shining, powerful intelligence * Deborah Levy * The Vanishing Half is an utterly mesmerising novel. It seduces with its literary flair, surprises with its breath-taking plot twists, delights with its psychological insights, and challenges us to consider the corrupting consequences of racism on different communities and individual lives. I absolutely loved this book * Bernardine Evaristo, winner of the Booker Prize * Brit Bennett has learned a lot from Toni Morrison - the use of uncanny rural communities in the South/Midwest; twins/doppelgangers to explore the extreme edges of the American Dream; whip-smart dialogue - but her exquisite slowness and patience of tone are unique. A wonderful, cosseting read * Paul Mendez, author of Rainbow Milk * As thought-provoking as it is engrossing * Oprah magazine * Deeply compelling . . . brilliantly creates a network of characters - singular and vivid . . . There are moments . . . that stun with quiet power . . . The Vanishing Half more than succeeds as a beautifully imagined story about an American family * USA Today * Stunning . . . Bennett pulls it off brilliantly . . . Few novels manage to remain interesting from start to finish, even - maybe especially - the brilliant ones. But . . . Bennett locks readers in and never lets them go * Los Angeles Times * Bennett balances the literary demands of dynamic characterization with the historical and social realities of her subject matter. . . there is such depth, possibility and dramatic propulsion . . a brave foray into vast and difficult terrain. . . .The novel raises thorny questions about the cost of blackness. The answers are complicated * New York Times Book Review * Bennett's gorgeously written second novel, an ambitious meditation on race and identity, considers the divergent fates of twin sisters, born in the Jim Crow South, after one decides to pass for white. Bennett balances the literary demands of dynamic characterization with the historical and social realities of her subject matter * New York Times *
Review
Ferociously moving . . . a lush book, a book of so many secrets, betrayal . . . I found myself reading not to find out what happens to the characters, but to find out who they are - New York Times Book Review on The Mothers[A] compelling debut - New Yorker on The MothersLuminous . . . engrossing and poignant, this is one not to miss - People on The MothersWith echoes of James Baldwin's Go Tell It on the Mountain, The Mothers is not your typical coming-of-age novel: It begins with Nadia's abortion, an experience often absent from our culture's stories, and goes on to look at how women step in to nurture - and sometimes betray - one another - Vogue on The MothersA refreshingly fast-paced story of young love, race, and religious hypocrisy - Vanity Fair on The MothersA beautifully written, sad and lingering book - Guardian on The Mothers From the Publisher
Born and raised in Southern California, Brit Bennett graduated from Stanford University and later earned her MFA in fiction at the University of Michigan, where she won a Hopwood Award in Graduate Short Fiction as well as the 2014 Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers. Her work is featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Paris Review, and Jezebel. She is one of the National Book Foundation's 2016 5 Under 35 honorees.
About the Author
Born and raised in Southern California, Brit Bennett graduated from Stanford University and later earned her MFA in fiction at the University of Michigan, where she won a Hopwood Award in Graduate Short Fiction as well as the 2014 Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers. Her work is featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Paris Review, and Jezebel. She is one of the National Book Foundation's 2016 5 Under 35 honorees.
