The Vanishing Half

Desiree Vignes is a light-skinned Black woman who grew up alongside her identical twin, Stella, in Mallard, Louisiana. Desiree always considered herself the bold, independent sister, since she was the more dominant and strong-willed… read analysis of Desiree Vignes

Like Desiree, her identical twin, Stella is a light-skinned Black woman who grew up in Mallard, Louisiana. She was always the quiet, passive sister who was content to let Desiree make important decisions. She… read analysis of Stella Vignes

Jude is Desiree’s quiet and studious daughter. Because Desiree married Sam, a dark-skinned Black man, Jude isn’t as light skinned as her mother. Everyone in Mallard, Louisiana values light skin, so Jude’s skin… read analysis of Jude Vignes

Kennedy is Stella’s daughter. She doesn’t know that Stella is Black, meaning that she sees herself as a white person—which is exactly how Stella and her husband, Blake, have raised her. Kennedy grew… read analysis of Kennedy Sanders

Blake is Stella’s husband and Kennedy’s father. A wealthy, privileged white man, he meets Stella while working for a marketing firm in a fancy New Orleans office building called the Maison Blanche. He’s… read analysis of Blake Sanders

Adele Vignes is Desiree and Stella’s mother. She is the direct descendent of Alphonse Decuir, the founder of Mallard. A group of racists murdered her husband, Leon, when Stella and Desiree were… read analysis of Adele Vignes

Early is Desiree’s romantic partner. As a teenager, he briefly lives on the outskirts of Mallard, where he works on a farm with his aunt and uncle. He’s not from Mallard, so his skin… read analysis of Early

Loretta Walker is a Black woman who moves into a large house in Stella’s wealthy neighborhood in Los Angeles. She and her husband, Reginald, are the first Black people to live in the… read analysis of Loretta Walker

Reginald is Loretta Walker’s husband. He’s a famous actor who plays a Black police officer on a popular television show. Stella doesn’t interact with him much, but he does help her carry groceries inside… read analysis of Reginald Walker

Sam is Desiree’s husband, whom she meets while working as a fingerprint analyst in Washington, D.C. A charming man at first, Sam woos Desiree and makes her feel beautiful, though he later resents her… read analysis of Sam

Ceel is a loan shark and bounty hunter who gives Early his assignments, providing him with information about the fugitives he tracks down. Ceel is the one who puts him in contact with Sam… read analysis of Ceel

Barry is one of Reese and Jude’s friends in Los Angeles. Older than both of them, Barry met Reese when Reese first moved to the city. He recognized that Reese needed support and friendship… read analysis of Barry

The founder of Mallard, Alphonse Decuir was Desiree and Stella’s great-great-great-grandfather. His mother was an enslaved person impregnated by her enslaver, meaning that Alphonse was half-white. He inherited the land of Mallard from his… read analysis of Alphonse Decuir

Leon Vignes was Stella and Desiree’s father. He died when the girls were very young. A group of angry, racist men stormed into his house, dragged him outside, and tried to murder him. They… read analysis of Leon Vignes

A erudite scholar, Frantz is Kennedy’s boyfriend in New York. Perhaps because he’s the first Black man she has ever dated, she tells him that she’s not entirely white, eager to hear what he… read analysis of Frantz