On the surface, “The Vanishing Half” is a story of the twin Vignes sisters, Desiree and Stella, and the separate journeys they take once they leave their hometown of Mallard, Louisiana, as teenagers for the big town of New Orleans. Mallard was created by and for light-skinned Blacks, but it did not provide Desiree and Stella with the futures they craved. Each sister has her reasons for leaving Mallard, their mother, and all they knew behind.

“The Vanishing Half” spans a half century and is about three generations of Black women and the consequences of their life choices. Brit Bennett deftly tackles the complicated relationships, or lack thereof, between the women and the intricacies and complexities of being light- or dark-skinned.

As much as “The Vanishing Half” is a story of loss: loss of family, loss of self, loss of identity, it’s also a story of gain. Desiree and Stella lose each other after Stella leaves her sister without a word to pursue a life of passing as white on the other side of the country. Each twin has a daughter: Kennedy is light-skinned and blonde who doesn’t know about her mother’s past and Jude is dark-skinned and who is a little more free in her knowledge of self and family.

The characters and their tumultuous journeys are richly described with a stunning prose that envelops the reader.