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The Vanishing Half
- Narrated by: Shayna Small
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
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The Vanishing Half
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Summary
Sunday Times bestseller
Longlisted for the Women's Prize 2021
Longlisted for the Orwell Prize
Longlisted for the National Book Award
The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Ten years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' story lines intersect?
Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins.
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Critic reviews
"A writer to watch." (Washington Post)
"The Vanishing Half is an utterly mesmerising novel. It seduces with its literary flair, surprises with its breath-taking plot twists, delights with its psychological insights, and challenges us to consider the corrupting consequences of racism on different communities and individual lives. I absolutely loved this book." (Bernardine Evaristo, winner of the Booker Prize 2019)
"Bennett allows her characters to follow their worst impulses, and she handles provocative issues with intelligence, empathy and dark humour." (New York Times )
What listeners say about The Vanishing Half
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Fozzie74
- 28-08-21
Fabulous book.. Well narrated.
Loved this story. It was so well narrated, I was drawn in from the very start.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Clare Peters
- 27-08-21
great story
really interesting listen with ethics and ideas from another era . Greatly enjoyed it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mrs K Sussex
- 09-02-22
loved it
I have been listening in the car and my gosh Shayna is amazing narrating this fab book by Brit Bennett. I could not stop listening to it and found myself thinking about the storyline well after I've finished with the book
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 13-11-21
Enjoyable audiobook
I physically read The Vanishing Half last year when it came out and remember likening it but, wasn’t blown away. I decided it was time to re- visit through audio and I’m so glad I did. The story felt much richer and vibrant thanks to this narrators hard work. It is a wonderful story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- ShopERB
- 23-01-23
Brilliant story!
This really had me gripped. If anything, it seemed to end too soon! I felt more could have been written about the lives of these women.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Edenx
- 11-11-22
Fantastic
Amazing story that made me laugh and cry. Shayna Small’s voicework was brilliant. Can’t wait to read Brit Bennett’s next book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ansie Niemann
- 25-05-23
The Vanishing Half
Excellent performance! Performance was the best I ever heard! Good story! Overall excellent! Want to listen again.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Oxfordjo
- 31-03-23
Interesting story
this is a interesting story that's told in an even more interesting way! the narrator has a vast array of voices for each character and the way she does it makes this story even more immersive for the listener.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Gilly G
- 10-04-24
I couldn't put it down.
A lovely story to share with friends. Was not at all what I imagined. I would definitely recommend it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anita L.
- 04-12-20
compulsive
I couldn't put it down, is my only complaint! I read it for book club, we all loved it!
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1 person found this helpful