At age sixteen, twin sisters Desiree and Stella Vignes walk away from their tiny Louisiana hometown, a community of black residents who celebrate light skin, as well as a place where the Vignes girls once witnessed unspeakable violence. One sister leaves for good, cuts ties, and adopts a new identity that will both restrict and free her. The other sister eventually returns home, her dark-skinned daughter in tow.

As in her lauded debut novel The Mothers, the characters of Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half are fully realized; they feel alive. They make difficult and frustrating choices. They love and they lie. The story of the Vignes girls, and of their daughters, is gorgeously written and hugely compelling. This is a must-read.