A Review of The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

Summer. It's here. It took me a few months to get back into my reading groove, and I think I'm almost there again, thankfully. 

The world is a hurting place, and I, along with so many others, are self-reflecting on my place in it, and my responsibility towards living a life of peace and love. I have always looked to the stories that books tell-whether they are fiction or non-fiction-to help me understand where the world was, and how we came to be where we are now. How others live; their cultures, the barriers they face, and the ugly and brutal things we do to each other out of fear and just plain ignorance.

 I will continue to read stories, memoirs, and history books that will help me understand the beautiful, magnificent, deeply troubled and damaged world we live in and call our home. And I hope I can, in some way, make it better. I may not be out protesting, but I will vote for change, and donate to causes I feel are important. We all do what we can. 

I saw a quote from Denzel Washington yesterday. He said that "Resistance is NOT a one lane highway. Maybe your lane is protesting, maybe your lane is organizing, maybe your lane is counseling, maybe your lane is art activism, maybe your lane is surviving the day. Do NOT feel guilty for not occupying every lane. We need all of them." 

So, onto The Vanishing Half. I received an advanced copy of this novel from a library conference and it was a great choice to kick off my summer reading. Brit Bennett's the author of The Mothers, which is the  adult All Iowa Read for 2020. I haven't read it, but now it's definitely on my list. 

The Vanishing Half is about two sisters-identical twins. The Vignes sisters: Desiree and Stella. They live in the very small town of Millard, Louisiana. Millard is a black community with a bit of a twist: everyone there is light skinned. They could pass for white people, but they identify as black, and are treated by the white people around them as black. It's the 1960's, and both girls want to escape Millard. Memories of their father being murdered by white men haunt them both, but especially Stella. They run away to New Orleans, and seem happy there for a bit. But Stella decides to try for a 'whites only' job, and gets it. She hides her secret every day, afraid someone will find out she's not white at all. And as she works, she realizes that she wants that kind of life-the white kind. But it means leaving Desiree behind. 

Years later, Desiree returns to Millard with her young daughter, Jude. Desiree did what most folks in Millard consider unforgivable: she married a black man-a very dark black man, and produced a child that did not fit into Millard's light skinned community. Poor Jude. She's shunned by everyone in the town; sits by herself at school, and running track is her only way out. Desiree stays in Millard, reconnecting to an old boyfriend and taking care of her mother. She always says she'll leave, but she never does. Desiree thinks about Stella-where she is, what her life is like, and the depth of her anger, sense of betrayal, and grief never goes away.

You also dive into Stella's life. It's vastly different from Desiree's life. She lives her life as a white woman, and keeps her secret from everyone, including her husband and her daughter, Kennedy-a blonde, violet eyed beauty. She has lived her life as a white woman longer than she ever identified as a black woman. And she lives in a privileged community in L.A., caught in her lies and unable to make peace with all of it. 

The novel moves into the 80's, as Jude and Kennedy grow up--and yes, cross paths. You may think it's just not possible, but Bennett writes the story in such a way that yes, it's very possible and makes perfect sense. How can these two women find any commonality? Will Stella ever return to Millard? Will Desiree ever see her sister again? What do you do when you live a lie for so long that it traps you? 

This was such a powerful novel about sisters, family, race, and identity. Hiding behind masks. Struggling to be seen. Jude--I loved Jude! She is such a powerhouse. Kennedy--a hot mess so lost she doesn't even realize how lost she is, and just keeps spiraling down. Stella so full of guilt; Desiree who tried to escape but finds herself right back where she started. The characters in this novel are worthy of long discussions, and this would make an excellent book group title. 

Rating: 5/6 for a powerful look at how we identify ourselves and people of color, and how society identifies us-the struggles to reconcile dreams with reality, and the sacrifices made on the journey. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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A Review of The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate

This novel caught my eye when I read the short description on the dust jacket--post Civil War? Yep. Sign me up. I continue to be fascinated with the Civil War and the years after, when quite frankly, the U.S. was still a mess. This novel was even better than I had hoped. 

Dual storylines tell the stories of 1875 Hannie Gossett, former slave and now sharecropper at Goswood Plantation, and 1987 Benny Silva, first year English teacher at an impoverished school in Augustine, Louisiana. The same  place where Hannie's story begins. Little does Benny know it, but she will be instrumental in uncovering Hannie's story, long forgotten under the burden of poverty that haunts Augustine. 

Hannie knows her former master had a mistress, and a daughter: Juneau Jane. His wife knows, too, and is a cruel woman, along with her daughter Lavinia. Juneau Jane secretly travels to the plantation one night to find paperwork that will prove her father has given her land of her own. Lavinia knows about it, and when Juneau Jane can't find the paperwork in the library, Lavinia convinces her to travel to New Orleans to seek out a businessman who will help them find the papers. Unfortunately, Lavinia is up to no good, and Hannie disguises herself in order to drive the wagon that takes the young ladies to New Orleans. Once there, they fall into really big trouble, and it's up to Hannie to save the girls and get them safely out of harm's way. Their journey will take them to Texas in search of William Gossett, who left on a business trip months before and has not been heard of since. Will they find him? Will they safely make it back home? 

In 1987, Benny's struggling to contain her class, and is in despair she'll ever be able to reach her students. On a walk one day, she discovers the grand Goswood plantation house, sitting empty. It's maintained, but no one lives there. She spies a very full library inside and decides those books will help her reach her students. Nathan Gossett is the owner, but wants nothing to do with the home. He's also Benny's landlord, renting her a small home on the edge of the town's cemetery. As Benny explores the library, she digs deeper into the town's past, and the tangled history of slavery, war, and freedom. She also learns more about Nathan's family and the tangled web that keeps him from living at Goswood. 

So how does Hannie's story mesh with Benny's? I can't tell you--you have to read the book! I still can't decide which story was more compelling. Hannie's desire to find her family-all sold off years before, is the main driver of her mission in life. It's also what connects the past to the present, in many surprising ways. 

It took me a bit to get into this novel, but when I finally did wow--such a good story! There's an author note at the end, letting you know how Lisa Wingate came to write about the book of lost friends. It's pretty interesting, and a must read. 

Rating: 5/6. I highly recommend this novel for book clubs, history buffs, and anyone who loves a read packed with drama, plenty of interesting characters, and the enduring love of family. Hannie is one amazing character you won't soon forget. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate

The Book of Polly by Kathy Hepinstall

I'm always up for reading an author who decides to take a chance and write a novel that's quite different from their previous works. Kathy Hepinstall wrote two previous books that I loved:  Blue Asylum and Sisters of Shiloh. Both revolved around the Civil War and took place in the South.  The Book of Polly does have a distinctly Southern flavor, but it's contemporary and utterly wonderful.

Told through the voice of Polly's young daughter Willow, the story unfolds with an unusual twist:  Polly became pregnant with Willow at age 58, and found out she was pregnant just after the sudden death of the Captain, Polly's husband. Willow's mother is much older than her schoolmate's mothers, and Willow is obsessed with her mother dying. Her obsession leads her to spin wild tales about her mother, and Willow becomes a very colorful liar.  
Polly is a pretty unusual mother, and not just because of her age. She's a real pistol; witty, sassy, and not above borrowing a falcon to perch on her shoulder as she goes to visit the counselor at Willow's school to discuss Willow's out of control lies. Yes, Willow told the children her mother has hunted with a falcon. And Polly isn't going to make Willow look bad at school. As she says to the counselor about Willow's tall tales, "It's not my fault that the gray of everyone else's stories makes the color stand out." 

Willow's obsessed with her mother dying (Polly smokes Virginia Slims and drinks margaritas) and the life her mother lived before she was married and had Willow's older brother Shel and sister Lisa, both grown and on their own. Polly is from a small town in Louisiana, and refuses to talk about her life, the town, and the people she knew. Of course Willow's obsession never ends, and as she becomes a teenager and the Bear (cancer) strikes home, she becomes determined to know her mother's whole life.  

I loved Polly. A larger than life character, she is so darn funny I kept chuckling over some of her witty lines. Seventy-two years old and raising a teenager, she is at her wit's end:  

"Jesus isn't gonna help me with a teenager, Lisa. He was good with lepers and whores and blind people, but he can't cure the smart-ass years and you know it." 

At times a strong woman raising a child on her own, to a vulnerable woman struggling to weather life's ups and downs, Polly is an unforgettable character. Willow is just as complex and funny. I can understand her terror at her mother dying and leaving her alone so early in life. There comes a time in all our lives when we realize our parents will someday pass on, and thinking of life without their presence is terrifying. For Willow, this fear is part of her life very early on, and most of this novel is about her struggle to cope with her fears. The mystery of Polly's early life in Louisiana (the story is set in Texas) is always a part of the background, and her refusal to tell Willow any of it just drives Willow to do some detective work and figure it out on her own. Will Polly ever tell Willow her story--which, in turn, is part of Willow's family history? 

I am so glad I discovered the story of Willow and Polly Havens. I didn't want to finish their story and say goodbye. The rest of the cast of characters: Shel and Lisa, Willow's older brother and sister; Phoenix, a childhood friend of Shel who worships Polly; and battling next door neighbors who drive Polly nuts made me feel a part of the family.  

A big thank you to Viking/Penguin (Pamela Dorman Books) for a review copy of this novel.  I would have missed it otherwise, and that would have been a shame. 

Rating:  5/6 for endearing characters, a complicated yet loving mother-daughter relationship, and that Southern flair I love so much.  Fans of Fannie Flagg would enjoy this novel. Full of humor and heartfelt moments. 

Available in hardcover and e-book. 

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The Book of Polly by Kathy Hepinstall

Louisiana Saves the Library by Emily Beck Cogburn

We all have memories of visiting libraries as children; for some it was a weekly visit, for others, like me, a rare occasion--and mostly the school library and not the public library.  Libraries are so much a part of our landscape that sometimes we don't even pay attention to them anymore, and that's a shame.  This sweet and entertaining novel reminds us to use our libraries, support them, and recognize them as the heart of our communities.

The novel's main character, Louisiana (Louise for short), is a professor of library sciences at Louisana A&M, a single mom of two small children, and overwhelmed by life.  Her university is cutting the budget, and that means Louise and her friend Sylvia are going to lose their jobs.  Frustrated by a lack of jobs, both end up working for a small public library in Alligator Bayou Parish.  It is a sad library; Mr. Foley, the library director sits in his office all day, grumps around, and refuses to move the library into the 21st century.  Louise and Sylvia roll up their sleeves, and with the help of the other librarians, begin implementing new programs, ordering movies and audio books, and even starting a Zumba class.  Their choices are very popular and the library goes from a forgotten bit of town to a popular, well attended place.  Mr. Foley, furious at this disregard for his wishes, works with the horrible Mrs. Gunderson to shut the library down for good. Some people hate the library and all it represents. 

Louise is the champion for this library.  It's not where she wanted to be--after all, she was a professor at a university, and always thought that's where she would continue her career.  Cataloging books at a small public library was not her dream, but she needs a job, and finds that she actually loves working at the library.  Her ex-husband has done a number on Louise's self-confidence, and quite frankly this library saves her--and she saves the library.  Sal, a local farmer, is smitten with Louise from the start, and gives her even more reason to make Alligator Bayou Parish her home.  As opposition to the library grows, Louise shifts from overwhelmed Mom to a fighter with moxie.  

Such a fun book to read.  Yes, I am a librarian (I've come late to the profession!).  I completely get the need for libraries to stay current, keep growing, and stay established as a community center.  My library is a bit different, but it is important in the community where I work:  a hospital.  I face the same challenges:  keeping up to date on materials, creating programs, keeping a budget, having that elevator speech at the ready to defend having a library.  Librarians take that library with them wherever they go, and defend it fiercely.  I loved how the characters in this novel took action and kept moving through challenges and resistance to the library.  In doing all of that, Louise not only became part of the community, but saved the library.  The flavor of the South is embedded in this novel as well:  sweltering heat, good home cooking, small town networking, and "Yes, Ma'am".  

Rating:  7/10 for a well-built cast of characters, a library that morphs into a powerhouse, and enough real-life to make it all believable.  

Available in paperback and e-book.  
 

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Louisiana Saves the Library by Emily Beck Cogburn

Sweet Unrest by Lisa Maxwell

It's been awhile since I've read a teen book.  I thoroughly enjoy teen reads and have read some amazing tales over the years.  Sweet Unrest was a great one to pick off my bookshelves and dive into this Halloween season.  

Sweet Unrest has a few things in it that always grab my interest:  New Orleans, plantation house, ghost, and evil.  Yes, this novel does have the usual teen love interest, but here's the kicker:  it involves reincarnation and a ghost.  What do you do when the person you love with all your heart is a ghost and you're alive?  I don't think I'm giving anything away about the plot.  It's pretty easy to figure out--right away.  

Plot:  Lucy Aimes reluctantly moves to New Orleans with her parents and younger brother.  Her father is a history professor who's taken a position as curator of Le Ciel Doux, an antebellum sugar plantation just outside of New Orleans.  It's now a tourist stop, complete with costumed guides and outbuildings.  Lucy is not happy to be here, and hopes to go back to Chicago at the end of the summer to finish her senior year of high school.  She's a gifted photographer, and has agreed to help her dad document the plantation.  She's also been experiencing the same unsettling dream over and over again growing up, and it's just become more ominous and frequent:  she's drowning, and can't save herself.  

Cue spooky atmosphere at the plantation.  The house itself is gorgeous, but has an air of nastiness around it.  Lucy and her family live in a small cottage near the plantation, so she's spared living in the main house itself.  Soon after moving in, Lucy notices a gorgeous young man standing at the back of a crowd of employees who are at their first meeting with her father.  She's pretty struck by his looks and intensity.  And of course he lasers in on her.  Soon after, she finds him at a nearby pond, and learns his name is Alex.  He's got a bit of a French accent, and seems pretty focused on her.  She's drawn to him and can't explain why. 

And then the dreams begin.  Lucy dreams of Alex, and a young woman named Armantine.  Forbidden love due to Armantine's mixed blood doom the two.  She's torn between wanting to believe Alex loves her, and wary of losing her heart to a man who may not keep his promise to marry her and instead make her his mistress, as most beautiful quadroons in New Orleans end up.  Dark forces swirl around the two in the shape of Thisbe, a local voodoo woman (who scares the bejesus out of everyone around her).  What happens to Alex and Armantine?  How are they tied to Lucy in today's world?  

Lucy has a mystery to solve before it's too late.  Evil from the plantation is still wandering around in Lucy's time, and Lucy must learn to trust both Alex and Mama Legba.  Who's Mama Legba?  She's a strong and powerful priestess who can help Lucy navigate the world of light and dark, goodness and evil.  And she is Lucy's strongest ally to discover what really happened to Alex and Armantine in 1841.  

This was an enjoyable stroll through the mystery that is New Orleans.  I've always loved reading this kind of novel, and for a teen story it has enough history and thorough research into voodoo to keep it interesting.  I'll admit the plot involving Alex is certainly a unique one that I haven't seen elsewhere.  Lucy does seem a bit lost at first, but she quickly clicks into what's going on and becomes determined to figure things out.  She's not afraid to do what she has to, and it's refreshing to see a strong teen female lead carry a story.  This is a trend in teen fiction that has had a long life, and only seems to be growing.  Girl power!

Rating:  7/10 for the history and unique love story between what was, and what is.  A strong female lead who doesn't have all the answers but isn't afraid to keep digging.  A good ghost story that won't keep you up at night. 

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Sweet Unrest by Lisa Maxwell

The Outcasts by Kathleen Kent....And A Shout Out To Followers

Before I begin my review, I have to say "Welcome!" to all my new followers.  Golly, I am so pleased you decided to read my reviews.  I read a mix of things:  historical fiction, science fiction/fantasy, contemporary fiction, and some non-fiction, too.  And yes, I do read Teen novels.  Whatever catches my fancy.  So welcome, and thank you for reading my reviews.  I hope you find something wonderful to read :)

Kathleen Kent.  A wonderful writer.  I read The Heretic's Daughter a few years ago and just loved it--what an emotionally wrenching novel!  I was pleased to see this new novel sitting on our new release table at work, and it fit neatly into my class assignment for reading a western.  Yes, a western.  Kathleen Kent jumps from witch hunts in New England in The Heretic's Daughter to the Texas Frontier in 1870 in her new novel.  

Center stage are two characters:  Nate Cannon, a Texas lawman, and Lucinda Carter, a prostitute who suffers from debilitating epileptic seizures.  Lucinda is a complex character; a woman who was put into an asylum as a child, and has a knack for geometry and complicated mathematics.  She's also been forced into working at a brothel and meets a man who promises her a way out.  But first she must follow his plan.  

Nate Cannon is a young lawman who is assigned to send news of an escaped criminal and notorious murderer--McGill--to two lawmen who have been chasing him for years.  Dr. Tom and  and Deerling are two seasoned lawmen who, for personal reasons, are determined to find and capture McGill.  You soon quickly learn that McGill is an unrepentant, cold-blooded, horrible man who will kill anyone for money--or just because he can.  Nate finds himself bonding with the two men and helps them on their journey through Texas and into Louisiana on a breathless chase to find McGill before he kills again.  Once again I am amazed at how long people could ride a horse and how far they could travel.  Exhausting and hard work.

So what's the connection between Lucinda and Nate?  Lucinda's mysterious man is McGill himself.  Does she realize he is a murderer and go along with him anyway?  I'll leave that for you to decide.  Lucinda is a study in a woman who does what she needs to in order to survive, yet at the same time is yearning for a quiet life and some peace.  She is complex, sorrowful, yet devious at the same time.  Will she end up as McGill's next victim?

This was a really good novel; Lucinda's character has equal time with Nate's character as both move closer to the inevitable meeting in New Orleans.  Nate is an example of always being tested; he struggles to keep his sense of fairness and honesty as he delves deeper into the ugly side of life.

Kathleen Kent's The Outcasts is a blend of western action, female struggle, and making choices for good or bad.  Lots of action; great characters both major and minor.  You will turn the last page and take a deep breath.  

Rating:  8/10 for an action novel that features a complex female lead; an ending that neatly ties up loose ends yet leaves you wanting more.  

Available in hardcover, e-book, and audio.

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The Outcasts by Kathleen Kent....And A Shout Out To Followers