#((and although its portrayals are very much fair for its day in the 1950s; it still has a resonance))

[theheadlessgroom]

@beatingheart-bride

"I had no idea," Randall admitted, as he held Emily close, rubbing her arm gently to bring her some comfort (as well as to bring himself some too, given everything weighing on his mind as well). "I...there's a lot I didn't know they'd say since you got here!"

His parents offering her the key to the house as a gesture of trust, being so sympathetic to her story when they heard it, wanting her to have a place in their family through their marriage, assuring her that she would have their support no matter what...it was all completely unexpected to him, especially in the face of their previous rejection of her, but it was far from being an unwelcome change of heart, that was for sure.

"I know it feels...really surreal, honestly, but...I'm still happy with how this has all gone since last night," he confessed, smiling lightly to her: How could he not be? His parents were able to mend fences and make amends with Emily, they'd gotten to truly know her, to trust her, and had come to care for her, enough to welcome her into their home and their family with open arms. It was the outcome he'd hoped for that night he brought Emily home to reveal the big news to them, and although that outcome had been delayed, he was glad it came to fruition after all.

The elephant in the room was still there, of course-the topic of mortality versus immortality, a life shared eternally, or to be doomed to be parted once again by age and time...but Randall just didn't want to think about it now. All he wanted to think about was Emily, the sensation of her in his arms, and how at peace he was with her.

#((it is! so many roles have a revolving door of actors behind them; so to see mancini stick with the originals)) #((is genuinely refreshing; and even if scheduling conflicts arise; he makes it work!)) #((that being said it really is a shame 'seed' did so poorly; because glen and glenda *are* genuinely interesting)) #((and their story was defidently ahead of its time for the early 2000s!)) #((it's also a nod to ed wood and his film 'glen or glenda'; which touches on intersexuality; crossdressing; and transgenderism)) #((and although its portrayals are very much fair for its day in the 1950s; it still has a resonance)) #((and considering ed wood himself was a queer filmmaker; much like mancini himself)) #((i can see why he'd want to pay tribute to those who came before; and i think he did it very well with glen and glenda!)) #((again; it'd be nice to see more of gg in the future; and maybe they'll go toe-to-toe with their parents again next season!)) #outofhatboxes #beatingheart-bride #V:Dark Shadows

[bookaficionado0917]

To preface this review, I’d like to first shoutout the author Brit Bennet! For those who may not know, Bennet’s a two time New York Times Bestselling fiction author and the recipient of multiple writing accolades. She has written for multiple magazines, such as The New Yorker and Paris Review. You can visit Brit Bennet’s site to learn more about her at https://britbennett.com/.

The Vanishing Half, the sophomore book of Brit Bennett, is a fictional tale about a set of twins, Desiree and Stella Vignes, who, despite being inseparable as children, end up living very different lives. As alluded by the title, one twin stays true to her heritage living as a Black woman while the other decides to abandon all she knows to pursue a life of contentment by passing as a white woman. Through their choices, the book explores just how impactful race can be in every facet of one’s life.

The story shifts between decades and states, beginning in Mallard, Louisiana in the 1950’s. Mallard is an interesting town, not just because it doesn’t show up on any maps — not even because it’s named for a type of duck — but because all the residents are considered “Colored” even though they may appear as white as a kernel of rice. The history of the small town where the twins are raised has everything to do with the way they perceive race. Their maternal great great great grandfather, Alphonse Decuir, founded the town in 1848 as a place for the mixed former enslaved to inhabit (he himself is the son of his former slave owner from whom he inherited the land to make Mallard) with the goal of each generation becoming lighter in complexion in a bid to become more than a simple Negro but always understanding that they were not white.

The town is full of these lightly pigmented individuals who live at a disadvantage to their neighboring white counterparts. For example, the twin’s mother, Adele Vignes, is a housekeeper to a wealthy white family while their father is a carpenter who meets a horrendous fate because he outbids a white man for a job, which the twins witness. Desiree and Stella eventually decide to leave Mallard after their mother tells them to drop out of school and help pay bills when they turn sixteen. Each twin has her own reason for wanting to abandon the color struck town, but the lynching of their father is the catalyst to their journey.

While the twins run away together to New Orleans, it is also in New Orleans where they separate. Stella becomes enamored with the idea of passing — pretending to be white– and when the opportunity presents itself, she high-tails it out of the city leaving Desiree behind with no forwarding contact information or even a proper farewell.

The driving force of the book is Desiree’s decision to flee an abusive husband and return to Mallard with her daughter Jude in tow. Jude is the complete opposite of her mother in terms of temperament and even her physical appearance; where Desiree is headstrong, expressive and fair of skin, Jude is pensive, quiet and dark. Jude is so dark in fact, she is often described as “blueblack.” Desiree becomes reacquainted with an old time courter of hers turned bounty hunter, Early Jones, and rekindles the old flame while also asking him to help find her long lost sister. Her deep desire to find her twin sets in motion the plot of the book.

The main focus of the story is how the sisters navigate their lives through the lens of racial disparity. Desiree, even though she has qualifications to read fingerprints, is not allowed to do so in her hometown simply because she is a woman of color. She settles into life as a waitress in Lou’s Diner. She tries her best to keep Jude as happy as can be, but has no idea the amount of torment the other children bestow upon her daughter simply for having a darker skin tone. Jude becomes a quiet but strong woman who departs Mallard to attend college in California on a track scholarship, but unknown to her, this is where she stumbles upon her estranged aunt and cousin.

There are many parallels in the book which plays into the two halves making a whole motif. Both twins mother daughters with the temperament of their twin. Jude leaves Mallard as soon as she’s able, much like her mother before her. Similarly to how her mother moved to a new city and finds a husband, Jude finds love in Reece, a transgendered man as well as a family in Reece’s drag queen friends. Jude also bears the brunt of her mother’s desire to find her estranged aunt Stella, but she is driven and goal oriented like her aunt. Kennedy, Stella’s daughter, is a free spirit, bad at school, with no sense of direction and desperately yearns for her mother’s approval. Kennedy is like Desiree in that she expresses herself freely and does what she wants to do regardless of what others have to say about it.

The book does well to illustrate what both Stella and Desiree have each gained and lost in this transaction of forfeiting a life. Desiree may have been relegated back to her hometown, living without much money or fanfare, but she is happy and has love, whereas Stella has nice dinner parties, a house in a rich neighborhood, and lots of friends, but she is a hollow version of herself. Even though the twins end up living very different lives based on their race and choices, their lives still mirror each other almost perfectly. I am a big fan of Brit Bennet! Her first novel, The Mothers, solidified her as a favorite author of mine because I love how she can tell a story through clear language, but still allows the reader’s imagination to run wild; it also helps that her subject matter is very Black. As a Black woman, I appreciate her honest portrayal of Black culture and understandings in her work. The Vanishing Half is an excellent exploration of the question, if given the chance would you choose an easier life if it meant forgoing everything and everyone you once loved? It is honest in its discussion of race, although I wish sometimes it was a little less so when it came to her darker skinned characters, such as Jude’s father being a portrayal of how people view dark skin men (i.e., negatively), but there’s redemption in Jude although her life is not easy either due to her skin tone. Bennet writes so concisely and methodically but doesn’t forsake the use of metaphors to paint vivid imagery on the page. The writing makes this story one that is easy to consume in one setting. I also appreciate how The Vanishing Half brings a modern day understanding of what it means to pass. Another fictional book on the subject, which I read and enjoyed, was Passing by Nella Larson.

If you’d like to read the book, please check out your local bookstores and libraries first! Otherwise you can purchase the book at Amazon, Target, Barnes and Noble, IndieBound, Books-a-Million, Hudson, Walmart, and iBooks.