The Vanishing Half: Twins Who Learn to Live Their Own Lives

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

Source: Used with permission from Brit Bennett

Today, I had the true pleasure of talking with Brit Bennett about her new novel, The Vanishing Half. Dr. Sarah Moukhliss, a founding member of my online twin estrangement group, and I asked Brit questions about the process of writing her novel.

Briefly, The Vanishing Half is a story about racial issues in the deep South from the 1950s through the 1990s. Within this complicated setting, the identity development of identical twin girls is explored through all of their compelling and horrifying life experiences and personal interactions. The reader comes to know the interesting and somewhat unusual characters through their experiences and relationships with family, community, and each other. The twin relationship is well detailed in a clear and concise way. Stella, the more ambitious sister, relies on Desiree, the more down-to-earth sister, to escape their stifling hometown. At 17, they run away to New Orleans. Later, they separate because they long for different lives. Desiree and Stella miss each other profoundly but deal with their separation anxiety by holding onto their individual resolved direction for their separate lives.

My interest in Brit’s novel centers on how the author was able to focus on the reality of the twin relationship with such profound insights. Brit shared that Dr. Moukhliss and I were the first adult twins to ask about how she created the dynamic of the twin relationship.

Brit confirmed her interest in showing Desiree and Stella as unique individuals in their own right. She did not do research on twins. But she did rely on her understanding of her close relationship with her own sister. Consciously, she did not want to establish twins as metaphorical images of bad and good or copies or clones of one another. Brit did say, “Using twins gave me an opportunity to explore racial identity.” In addition, Brit went on to share that the idea of claustrophobia and individualism was a theme in her novel.

Of great interest to me, and perhaps her many twin readers, are the following points:

1. Brit explores the concept of Stella and Desiree knowing one another deeply through similar childhood experiences but not really knowing what the other wants in the world outside of their twin relationship.

For example, Desiree thinks she knows Stella but is unaware of how long Stella has been planning her transition to a very different life. Stella does not want to share her dreams with her sister. I wonder, does Stella fear her sister’s disapproval? This experience of knowing another but also feeling like a stranger is very common for the twins I have worked with throughout my career. This theme is carried out very realistically throughout the novel.

2. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear to the reader that Stella values her independence and individuality over her kinship with her twin sister. Desiree is able to live without childhood contact and respect Stella’s decisions. Desiree makes her own life choices without knowing her sister’s reaction. Making life choices without your twin’s approval takes courage and determination. The reward is the ability to live your own life. In my experiences with twins, disregarding what your twin believes is very unusual because of the closeness of the twin attachment.

3. Separation for Stella and Desiree was hard. Friends and family members got involved to reconnect the twins. One hundred percent of the twins I have worked have had this experience —family members work hard to hold onto their belief that twins have to be loving and happy together. Adult twins do not necessarily feel pressured to maintain harmony. Estrangement between twins can be acceptable in many situations although there are serious protests from family.

4. Brit wrote many versions of the end of the book. None of the versions included reconciliation. I believe the way Brit ended the book may contradict what society and culture want to believe about twins. From my own personal and professional experiences, the honesty of no reconciliation will promote psychological insight and health for twins who can’t get along. I approved her ending.

5. The author did not want to make Stella into the villain or punish her for her life choices.

In conclusion, my interest in The Vanishing Half is focused on the development of twins’ strong need for individuality. Most twin novels, movies, and television portray twins as halves of a whole or copies of one another. My personal and professional interests have concerned the difficulties of being a twin and how childhood harmony can turn to loneliness and estrangement in adulthood. The Vanishing Half portrays twinship in a new and more authentic light. Stella and Desiree respect each other’s life choices and are able to follow their own paths in life.

Twins and their parents, siblings, and spouses will learn some unspoken facts about twinship. For example, twins want to be individuals. Family pressure can be intrusive and often creates more stress for twins than is necessary. What is helpful for twin psychological health is accepting that they are different from their twin and that differences are normal.

I believe The Vanishing Half will be of great interest to clinicians who work with twins. Twins who are struggling with anger and disappointment with their sister or brother will gain a new perspective on the importance of individuality.

I am impressed with Brit Bennett’s novel and I recommend The Vanishing Half very highly.