“Those girls” are the Vignes twins, who at a very young age, saw five white men lynching their black father. The neighbors predicted that the girls couldn’t be “right” afterwards, and indeed, both girls went on to make many questionable choices. This novel — a bestseller — appeared on many “best of 2020” lists. Why? Perhaps there are several reasons: it’s a page-turner, a quick read, and it raises a question that is front-and-center this year: What does race have to do with happiness? The answer given here is neither predictable or simple, and it’s wide open to interpretation.
Bennet, Brit. The Vanishing Half. Riverhead Books, 2020, p. 59.