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My book club nearly split over a chapter in chapter 7 of 'The Vanishing Half'
We argued for 45 minutes straight about whether Desiree made the right choice leaving Mallard. Three people almost walked out. Never seen a group get so heated over a single decision in one chapter. Anyone else have a book that caused a real fight in your club?
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parker_bell2mo ago
That book club fight over Desiree leaving Mallard makes total sense to me. The whole town is built on this idea of passing and leaving your past behind, so her choice to go back feels like a big deal either way. The three people who almost walked out probably saw her leaving as abandoning her daughter or maybe finally breaking free from a bad situation. It's one of those chapters where nobody is totally right or wrong, which is exactly why book clubs get so heated. Really shows how personal that book can feel to different readers.
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sarahsullivan2mo ago
Watched a buddy almost flip a table over this same scene at my local library last month.
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barbara3991mo ago
Oh wait, I think you might be mixing up two different things in that book. Desiree is the one who leaves Mallard originally and then comes back later with her daughter, but she doesn't actually leave Mallard in chapter 7 - that's more towards the beginning of the book. Chapter 7 is where the big argument usually comes from, because it's about Stella making that huge choice to pass as white and cut off her sister completely.
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