The Vanishing Half

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 up spoiled and privileged, and she hasn’t outgrown her sense of entitlement as a young adult. Although her grades in high school were terrible, she got into USC because her parents made a sizable donation. Instead of seizing this educational opportunity, though, she spends her time getting high and goofing around. After being put on academic probation, she drops out of school to become an actress. Stella can’t believe her daughter would do such a thing, especially since Stella herself sacrificed so much to give Kennedy the opportunities and privileges that come with being white. When Kennedy stars in a local musical, Stella tries to convince her to stop acting and return to school, but she doesn’t listen—she just feels unsupported by her mother, whom she’s never felt close to because Stella keeps her at an arm’s length, not wanting Kennedy to learn about her past. But Kennedy soon becomes close with her cousin Jude, since Jude’s friend, Barry, is in the same musical as Kennedy. Through Jude, Kennedy learns that Stella is a light-skinned Black woman who left her twin to lead the life of a white woman. Kennedy resents her mother for lying to her and doesn’t know what to do with this new information about her own racial identity—after all, she has lived her entire life as a white person. Although she has spent the years since she left college pursuing an acting career, she abandons her dreams to travel in Europe, hoping to “find” herself. When she returns, she works as a real estate agent, finding it easy to help clients imagine new lives for themselves. This outcome suggests that she, like her mother, has come to believe it’s possible for people to take control of their own lives and determine for themselves how they want to live.