Twins | Book Chatter

Julie Chan is Dead
By Liann Zhang
Atria, April 2025, 320pp.

The Short of It:

An accurate depiction of social media and its impact on society.

The Rest of It:

Julie Chan is dead.
Not really.
Her sister Chloe is.

Chloe, a high profile social media influencer is found dead in her kitchen. The shock of the moment takes Julie by surprise, but not for the reason you think.

Chloe and Julie were never close. Chloe was raised by a white, privileged family. Julie, raised by their ruthless mother. Two very different upbringings. Never close. Julie, resenting Chloe’s charmed life 98% of the time.

So in that moment, the moment where Julie discovers Chloe’s lifeless body, she decides to BE her. To become her. Their resemblance allows it and no one is the wiser. Why not enjoy the limelight for once? Why should her twin be the charmed one?

As Julie steps into Chloe’s world, it quickly becomes apparent that this ruse may take a bit of effort. Perhaps, more effort and skill than Julie anticipated.

I found this part of the story to be pretty accurate. The life of an influencer is never ending. The constant need to post content, the need for clicks. Just managing the products and sponsorships becomes overwhelming and Julie drowns in it.

But then it gets strange. Julie learns that Chloe was part of a smaller circle of influencers. Big ones. Being a part of that circle is suddenly very important to Julie. They don’t seem to notice anything different about Chloe but when Julie (as Chloe) is invited to an island retreat for VIP influencers, it all unravels quickly.

Things go south fast. This part of the story seemed ridiculous and far fetched. Some of it, absolutely included for shock factor. I felt that this method of storytelling was lazy and convenient. I was so riveted by the glamour and the glitz and then, it just went out like a light. Poof.

Strong first half, but in my opinion, didn’t deliver in the end.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

The Vanishing Half
By Brit Bennett
Riverhead Books, 9780525536291, June 2020, 352pp.

The Short of It:

The Vanishing Half is a book that must be discussed.

The Rest of It:

Stella and Desiree are twins, living in the small (fictional) town of Mallard, Louisiana. This town is known for its black, light-skinned inhabitants. As young children, they witness the murder of their father by a group of angry white men, and from that point on, the girls, each affected in different ways, step out of their familiar surroundings to begin lives outside of Mallard.

At first, they do this together. Taking odd jobs, sleeping on floors and eventually making a place of their own to call home. But Stella wants more and eventually leaves Desiree behind to pursue what she feels is a better life. A life that should not be held from her, just because she’s black. Desiree is hurt by the abandonment but at the time, doesn’t fully understand Stella’s choices. All she wants throughout the years is to find her sister once again.

This story is told in several parts and jumps into the present day as we meet Jude and Kennedy, the children of Desiree and Stella. We also meet their significant others and as readers, we are brought into Stella’s world as she makes the decision to pass for white. One day, Stella is mistaken for white and just goes along with it. The concept of “passing” is one that affects more than just Stella as the story unfolds.

The Vanishing Half is a story about identity. Racial identity as well as gender identity (one of the characters, one of my favorite characters is transgendered). These characters are trying to find their way and their true selves and not without a lot of struggle. Some of Stella’s choices will anger you but Bennett wrote her in such a way, that you can’t hold her choices against her. She feels regret for her decisions but as readers we also see why she made these decisions to begin with.

I really liked how the story was structured and how balanced it was. I appreciated the decision to move the characters to California, particularly Los Angeles because as I can tell you, Los Angeles is accepting of a lot and it’s a place where people find themselves all the time. People can be whatever they want here, so having some of the story set in Los Angeles made sense. I really enjoyed the writing and I was lucky enough to be told about the Los Angeles Times Book Club interview with Bennett right after finishing the book so I got to hear her take on the book and it was just a great talk.

I highly recommend The Vanishing Half. Now, I really want to read her first book, The Mothers.

This book completes my summer reading list!

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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