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The Vanishing Half

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The Vanishing Half

By: Brit Bennett
Narrated by: Shayna Small
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About this listen

Sunday Times bestseller

Longlisted for the Women's Prize 2021

Longlisted for the Orwell Prize

Longlisted for the National Book Award

The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Ten years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' story lines intersect?

Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins.

©2020 Brit Bennett (P)2020 Hachette Audio UK
African American Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Heartfelt Thought-Provoking
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Critic reviews

"A writer to watch." (Washington Post)

"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 2019)

"Bennett allows her characters to follow their worst impulses, and she handles provocative issues with intelligence, empathy and dark humour." (New York Times )

What listeners say about The Vanishing Half

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Fabulous book.. Well narrated.

Loved this story. It was so well narrated, I was drawn in from the very start.

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  • Overall
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great story

really interesting listen with ethics and ideas from another era . Greatly enjoyed it.

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loved it

I have been listening in the car and my gosh Shayna is amazing narrating this fab book by Brit Bennett. I could not stop listening to it and found myself thinking about the storyline well after I've finished with the book

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Enjoyable audiobook

I physically read The Vanishing Half last year when it came out and remember likening it but, wasn’t blown away. I decided it was time to re- visit through audio and I’m so glad I did. The story felt much richer and vibrant thanks to this narrators hard work. It is a wonderful story.

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Brilliant story!

This really had me gripped. If anything, it seemed to end too soon! I felt more could have been written about the lives of these women.

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Fantastic

Amazing story that made me laugh and cry. Shayna Small’s voicework was brilliant. Can’t wait to read Brit Bennett’s next book.

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The Vanishing Half

Excellent performance! Performance was the best I ever heard! Good story! Overall excellent! Want to listen again.

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Interesting story

this is a interesting story that's told in an even more interesting way! the narrator has a vast array of voices for each character and the way she does it makes this story even more immersive for the listener.

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I couldn't put it down.

A lovely story to share with friends. Was not at all what I imagined. I would definitely recommend it.

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compulsive

I couldn't put it down, is my only complaint! I read it for book club, we all loved it!

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1 person found this helpful