The Vanishing Half
Synopsis: Desiree and Stella Vignes are identical twin sisters, raised in the small town of Mallard, Louisiana. It’s an African American community, two hours north of New Orleans, not really found on a map. Desiree and Stella run away from home at the age of 16, with Stella leaving her sister a year or two later. Desiree ultimately returns to Mallard, while Stella has moved on, secretly passing as a white woman. The lives of these sisters, while separated by distance and racial identity, remain very much intertwined.
Review: Wow. I really, really liked this book. I might even say I loved it. There are so many layers here, and a lot to think about. Many people in this book are “passing,” or trying to hide a part of themselves. While I am well aware of the history of “passing,” I honestly never gave much thought to the cost. Loss of family relationships, loss of old friends, the emotional toll of living with secrets that you can’t tell even those you love the most. Desiree and Stella each have daughters, and their paths cross more than once. One is an actress, the most obvious form of passing imaginable! The other is in love with someone who is trans, also living a “passing” life. Beautiful prose and deep characterization with complex and flawed characters, it’s everything a novel should be: entertaining, thought provoking, and ultimately hopeful. This is my first novel by Brit Bennett, and I will definitely look for more of her work in the future.
Rating: 5/5
It is comically predictable and cliche to pair this book with classic Black and White cookies. I resisted the notion, but finally had to accept that it really just fit the themes of the book. This cookie seems to be a classic New York thing, commonly traced to Glaser’s Bake Shop found in 1902 by Bavarian immigrants. This recipe is from my all time favorite Ina Garten. A little more cake like than cookie, but delicious.
Ingredients:
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 extra large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sour cream
For the glazes:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 oz semisweet chocolate
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Cream butter and sugar 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mix well.
3) Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl.
4) With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream in thirds and mix until just combined.
5) With a standard ice cream scoop, place 5 level scoops of batter 2 inches apart on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment.
6) Bake for 10 minutes, rotate, then bake 6-8 minutes more.
7) Cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely
8) For the chocolate glaze, place butter, chocolate and coffee in a heatproof bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Stir vigorously until smooth.
9) glaze half the cookie, allowing it to set for 30 minutes.
10) For the vanilla glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of cream, adding drops of cream as needed to make the glaze smooth, thick, and barely pourable.
11) Glaze the other half of the cookie, allowing it to sete for 30 minutes.