Literary Fiction
2020
The Vanishing Half
by Brit Bennett
The Vignes twin sisters grow up in a small southern Black community and run away at age sixteen. As adults, one lives with her Black daughter in the same town, while the other secretly passes for white.
Discussion Questions
- What does the novel say about the construction of identity?
- How does the novel explore the concept of 'passing' and its consequences?
- Discuss the ways the novel's characters grapple with family secrets and legacies.