Dive deeper into The Vanishing Half book club questions and explore its complex themes and unforgettable characters. As one of the most popular novels in recent times and a good book club pick, Brit Bennett’s award-winning literary fiction novel touches on racial identity, family bonds, and the choices that shape generations.
You’ll foster insightful discussions with these questions and get free printable book club questions to use as a book club resource at your in-person meeting. Let’s get literary!
Quick The Vanishing Half Summary With Themes
- Debuted at #1 on The New York Times bestseller list
- Book of the Month Club’s Book of the Year (2020), one of Barack Obama’s favorite books of the year
- Good Morning America Book Club pick
- 2021 Women’s Prize Finalist
- Being adapted as an HBO series
My Review: ★★★★★ — The Literary Lifestyle’s book of the year and one of the best books of the 21st century (Review of The Vanishing Half)
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, author of The Mothers, is the story of light-skinned Black identical twin sisters, Desiree and Stella Vignes, who grow up inseparable in a light-skinned Black community in Mallard, Louisiana. At a young age, they witness their father’s death at the hands of white men, and as teens, they run away from their home to New Orleans.
Then, twin sister Stella runs away from New Orleans to marry a white man, and she begins a new secret life as a white woman, estranged from her sister, with a daughter named Kennedy Sanders. Meanwhile, twin sister Desiree marries a Black man and has a dark-skinned daughter, Jude Winston.
The Vanishing Half follows the twins and their families through decades of time from the 1950s to the 1990s and several more American settings against the backdrop of their differing identities.
Jude learns that Adele died from Desiree and tells Kennedy. Jude and Reese attend the funeral in Mallard, where they get into a river naked and float, holding each other.
It’s filled with an abundance of themes for discussion that include colorism and racial identity, “passing” and identity, family, choices, and generational trauma. I recommend it to fans of Homegoing, An American Marriage, The Bluest Eye, which are all excellent reads.
Watch Brit Bennett discuss this book with Good Morning America on Youtube:
Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half: Book Club Questions
Do you believe Stella “vanished” from her true identity, as the title suggests? Why or why not?
Discuss Mallard as a significant setting in this novel. What do you make of its name, why did its citizens form it, and why did it cease to exist by the end of the book?
How were the other settings in The Vanishing Half (i.e., New Orleans, California, New York, Minneapolis) different from Mallard?
Stella and Desiree react differently to the post-traumatic stress of the death of their father. How do you think you and your family may have reacted?
Discuss “running away” as a theme in The Vanishing Half, which several characters did: Desiree, Stella, Kennedy, Jude, Reese.
Discuss “acting” as a theme in The Vanishing Half. For example, do you believe her mother’s history influenced Kennedy to become an actress? Was Reese acting? What about Barry? What parts of your life feel like acting?
Why do you believe Bennett included Reese, a transgendered character, as such a major role in this book?
Discuss Stella’s relations with Loretta and the role of Loretta’s family in The Vanishing Half.
Do you think Early was capable of finding Stella?
Discuss “exposure” as a theme in The Vanishing Half. For example, both Stella and Reese often fear exposure, and Reese is a photographer exposing the film to the light. What do you make of this?
Discuss “education” as a theme in The Vanishing Half — both the characters’ access to it and their choices surrounding it.
Both twin sisters have daughters. Describe their daughters’ similarities and differences and what influenced each of their characters.
Why do you think Jude continues to seek out Kennedy over decades of time?
Discuss the character of Adele and her role in the lives of the other characters. What was her legacy?
What role does identity play in the romantic relationships in The Vanishing Half?
Do you believe Stella will ever reveal her identity to her husband? If so, how will he react?
What do you think is next for these characters, especially Desiree, as she sets forth on a new journey?
Is identity intrinsic, created, or a bit of both?
Which characters do you believe were happy in their own skin at the end of the novel?
Are you happy in your skin? Identify one thing about your background that makes you feel proud and one way you can improve your self-identity.
Printable PDF Reading Guide of the Discussion Questions
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remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
