PopSugar 2020 Reading Challenge Prompt: None used.

Other PS 2020 reading prompts this would satisfy: A book that's published in 2020, A book that passes the Bechdel test, A book published the month of your birthday, A book by a WOC, A book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads, A book with a three-word title, A book with a main character in their 20s

TW: Colorism, racism/racial slurs, abuse, misogyny, classism, transphobia



Literary fiction, while it can be incredible, is not typically for me. I enjoy budding romance, thrilling twists, and teenage drama. Literary fiction usually doesn't have those things in the usual sense. They tend to feel anticlimactic and can often be emotional, but realistic. The Vanishing Half is a literary fiction novel, but it was one I really connected with, and was written so well that it's truly a book that anyone could read and enjoy, regardless of the genre they typically enjoy most.


Two identical twin sisters grow up in a southern Black community that's only for light-skinned Black folks. After leaving at 16 to begin a life on their own outside of the small town of Mallard, Louisiana, the Vignes sisters go their separate ways - Desiree married a dark-skinned man and has a dark-skinned daughter; Stella goes on to pass as white, marry a white man, have a daughter who passes as white, and become a part of the white community. Years later, as their daughters lives intersect, the past comes back to light.


I immensely enjoyed this book. It's an incredible story about love, family, race, and colorism. As I mentioned, it’s literary fiction and technically historical fiction... the kind of historical fiction I don’t mind. It’s not necessarily a “period drama” or war-based, which I feel like are the main sub-genres of historical fiction. I really think most folks would enjoy this story because it blends a few different themes and genres, and just so good.






I was so in love with this book and have been recommending it to everyone I talk to about books. It was honestly so good of a book, I can hardly explain how good it was. I think if you enjoyed Little Fires Everywhere, you’d likely enjoy this one too!




Goodreads rating: ★★★★★