
The Vanishing Half
American novelist, born 1990.
The Vanishing Half is a 2020 novel by Brit Bennett. It was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2021.
In family saga, Black American
On 4 of the 12 lists it was eligible for.
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At a glance
- Author
- Brit Bennett
- First published
- 2020
- Length
- 384 pages (UK paperback)
- Awards
- Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist, 2021
- British Book Awards Fiction shortlist, 2021
- Genre
- Literary fiction, Black American, Family saga, Migration and identity
Is The Vanishing Half worth reading?
4 of the 12 best-of lists it could have made include it, among them the British Book Awards' Fiction Book of the Year and Goodreads Choice Awards: Fiction and Historical Fiction winners.
| List | Place | Original |
|---|---|---|
| British Book Awards: Fiction Book of the Year (winners and shortlists) (The Bookseller, 2021) | Shortlist | See the list |
| Goodreads Choice Awards: Fiction and Historical Fiction winners (Goodreads, 2009-) | Winner | See the list |
| Waterstones Book of the Year (winners and shortlists) (Waterstones, 2012-) | Shortlist | See the list |
| Women's Prize for Fiction (winners and shortlists) (Women's Prize Trust, 2021) | Shortlist | See the list |
Best edition of The Vanishing Half
The edition we link to is the Dialogue Books paperback (2021), 384 pages.
- Publisher
- Dialogue Books (paperback, 2021)
- Pages
- 384
- ISBN
- 9780349701479
How critics, prizes and readers rate The Vanishing Half
Readers rate it most highly: it earned 40% of the points available on readers' and booksellers' lists, against 27% on prize lists and 0% on critics' lists.
Share of the available points it earned on each kind of list it was eligible for. How the scores work
Books like The Vanishing Half
If you liked The Vanishing Half, try Wolf Hall, Midnight's Children or Beloved.



