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haileemichaela's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
halthemonarch's review against another edition
4.0
edit: https://society6.com/product/generational-trauma7834607_print?utm_campaign=2574&utm_source=sharedlink&utm_medium=social&utm_content=pdp_from_pdp heres the painting, future me. buy it!
When I first started reading this, I thought it was going to be a zoomed-in story about a family, but as I kept reading I realized it was more about generational trauma, the ripples that your mother and grandmother can make in your life that ripples through your life you until the day you die. Much like Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, The Vanishing Half explores how a series of decisions dictate the lives of the Vignes family that came from Mallard during 1970s/80s. Twins, Desiree, and Estella Vignes were raised in a town where white was right, and light-skinned was the only way to be. Their father was dragged from their home and beaten to death when the girls were young. Echoes of lingering fear shaped the girls’ lives as they became women. Seemingly in defiance of Mallard and their mother who had internalized and perpetuated Mallard’s harmful beliefs, Desiree fell in love with a man with dark skin and had a baby with even darker skin; though she runs home once he starts beating her. Stella found the opportunity to pass as white and run away with her boss to ensure her safety and perhaps the apathy of her husband and the certainty that nor he nor her daughter will ever truly know her.
Stella is constantly looking over her shoulder, and Desiree was dragged back to the place she thought she’d never return to, out of shameful necessity. And in their daughters, Jude and Kennedy, the generational trauma was passed down. Raised in Mallard, dark-skinned Jude grows up repressed, timid, meek, and quiet, deferent to her mother, and raised on hard work. She romanticizes the father that abused her mother, but loves her mother too much to ever say anything that might hurt her aloud; this includes when she encounters her mean and nasty Aunt Stella at one of Kennedy’s shows. There’s little trust between any of the girls, really. Grandma, Desiree, Stella, Jude, and Kennedy are all stars in different constellations.
Kennedy, obsessed with the idea of finding herself, had an easier life than Jude’s, but she still felt like something was wrong. As a child, she played with the colored girl across the street, and in a fit of frustration after losing a game, Kennedy called her the N-word. Stella came out to collect her and slapped her, then held her and apologized; and those extremes guided the rest of her life. The feeling of never knowing her mother coupled with the feeling of never being seen by her mother set her adrift and, to Stella’s horror, drove her to seriously pursue acting, in which she could put herself into the shoes of others and disappear into roles.
This book reminds me of a painting I saw of an older woman’s portrait crying stoically in the top third of the picture, an adult woman, turned sideways and crying more expressively in the middle third, and a child crying beneath the ocean of tears the older woman and adult had created.
So often in life, there are no satisfying answers to questions, no satisfying resolutions to abandonment and mistreatment. Stella never saw Jude again, let alone apologized to her; Grandma had Alzheimer’s by the time Stella had the courage to return home, Kennedy and Stella love each other through dishonesty, Jude and Reese seemed on the outs by the end so the reader doesn’t know if they worked it out or drifted apart, and Desiree was finally free of Mallard-- not at the begging of her daughter or for Jude’s mental health-- but after her mother’s funeral when she, Desiree, is good and ready to leave...
I couldn’t imagine if it’d been me-- if I had a twin who abandoned me for safety, or I had a mother who needed to hide from her abusive husband. I can’t even conceptualize being in Kenedy or Stella’s shoes-- the white-passing side of this novel. I think the term “passing” has been construed in recent years to mean anyone who looks white, but Stella is truly passing; a person who strives to be perceived as white, vehemently denies her heritage, and lives a secret life. I wish Desiree had kicked her butt when she wandered back into Lou’s, and although I expected it, it disgusted me when Stella left under cover of darkness with Early’s help, thinking that leaving a ring behind would make anything right.
I see this book as a treatise that states simply that the things that you see and do and are subjected to in your childhood will affect who you grow to be; effectively the rest of your life, forever. Kind of a bummer, really, but I ate it up! Thanks Obama, for the book recommendation!
When I first started reading this, I thought it was going to be a zoomed-in story about a family, but as I kept reading I realized it was more about generational trauma, the ripples that your mother and grandmother can make in your life that ripples through your life you until the day you die. Much like Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, The Vanishing Half explores how a series of decisions dictate the lives of the Vignes family that came from Mallard during 1970s/80s. Twins, Desiree, and Estella Vignes were raised in a town where white was right, and light-skinned was the only way to be. Their father was dragged from their home and beaten to death when the girls were young. Echoes of lingering fear shaped the girls’ lives as they became women. Seemingly in defiance of Mallard and their mother who had internalized and perpetuated Mallard’s harmful beliefs, Desiree fell in love with a man with dark skin and had a baby with even darker skin; though she runs home once he starts beating her. Stella found the opportunity to pass as white and run away with her boss to ensure her safety and perhaps the apathy of her husband and the certainty that nor he nor her daughter will ever truly know her.
Stella is constantly looking over her shoulder, and Desiree was dragged back to the place she thought she’d never return to, out of shameful necessity. And in their daughters, Jude and Kennedy, the generational trauma was passed down. Raised in Mallard, dark-skinned Jude grows up repressed, timid, meek, and quiet, deferent to her mother, and raised on hard work. She romanticizes the father that abused her mother, but loves her mother too much to ever say anything that might hurt her aloud; this includes when she encounters her mean and nasty Aunt Stella at one of Kennedy’s shows. There’s little trust between any of the girls, really. Grandma, Desiree, Stella, Jude, and Kennedy are all stars in different constellations.
Kennedy, obsessed with the idea of finding herself, had an easier life than Jude’s, but she still felt like something was wrong. As a child, she played with the colored girl across the street, and in a fit of frustration after losing a game, Kennedy called her the N-word. Stella came out to collect her and slapped her, then held her and apologized; and those extremes guided the rest of her life. The feeling of never knowing her mother coupled with the feeling of never being seen by her mother set her adrift and, to Stella’s horror, drove her to seriously pursue acting, in which she could put herself into the shoes of others and disappear into roles.
This book reminds me of a painting I saw of an older woman’s portrait crying stoically in the top third of the picture, an adult woman, turned sideways and crying more expressively in the middle third, and a child crying beneath the ocean of tears the older woman and adult had created.
So often in life, there are no satisfying answers to questions, no satisfying resolutions to abandonment and mistreatment. Stella never saw Jude again, let alone apologized to her; Grandma had Alzheimer’s by the time Stella had the courage to return home, Kennedy and Stella love each other through dishonesty, Jude and Reese seemed on the outs by the end so the reader doesn’t know if they worked it out or drifted apart, and Desiree was finally free of Mallard-- not at the begging of her daughter or for Jude’s mental health-- but after her mother’s funeral when she, Desiree, is good and ready to leave...
I couldn’t imagine if it’d been me-- if I had a twin who abandoned me for safety, or I had a mother who needed to hide from her abusive husband. I can’t even conceptualize being in Kenedy or Stella’s shoes-- the white-passing side of this novel. I think the term “passing” has been construed in recent years to mean anyone who looks white, but Stella is truly passing; a person who strives to be perceived as white, vehemently denies her heritage, and lives a secret life. I wish Desiree had kicked her butt when she wandered back into Lou’s, and although I expected it, it disgusted me when Stella left under cover of darkness with Early’s help, thinking that leaving a ring behind would make anything right.
I see this book as a treatise that states simply that the things that you see and do and are subjected to in your childhood will affect who you grow to be; effectively the rest of your life, forever. Kind of a bummer, really, but I ate it up! Thanks Obama, for the book recommendation!
intentionaltorts's review against another edition
5.0
This made me feel so much… wow!!! I had a visceral reaction to this book - I felt so much anger and heartache. The Vanishing Half is a beautiful, anguished story that weaves together familial narratives across time, explores racial identity and colorism, and features relationship dynamics ranging from wonderful, mediocre, to downright ugly. Just amazing.
kconte01's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
unfortunatelycole's review against another edition
5.0
I have never cried while reading a book but this one almost got me
vivian_m_anderson's review against another edition
slow-paced
4.75
it was daring, surprising constantly in a way i never could have expected! it's an exploration of racism, the south, wealth, queer identity, and gender
megankriegel's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Loved the narrator
megankriegel's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
alba_romero's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
birdinflight1's review against another edition
4.0
So good. I had so many questions as I read. I kept wondering why is "passing" such a big deal? I am aware that this definitely shows my white privilege. I am continuously learning about the enormous damage that racism has done/is doing to people's psyche, and I'm glad to have books like this to help me learn more about people's experiences. I was surprised to learn the extent to which the character's passing affected her and all of her relationships.