Play Book Tag discussion

Twins Stella and Desiree Vignes grew up in small town (so small it doesn't exist on any map) Mallard, Louisiana. Mallard was populated with black families but they were so light-skinned that they could easily be mistaken for white. By age 16 the girls had seen enough of their poor surroundings and headed for big city New Orleans. Desiree fell in love with a charming black man and gave birth to a daughter, Jude, who was the blackest person anyone had ever seen. After Desiree's husband began to physically abuse her, she took Jude and returned to her mother in Mallard.

Stella, on the other hand, saw just how easy it was to pass for white. The skin color she embraced opened doors for her that had previously been closed. Working as a secretary for Blake Sanders, an important white man, Stella allowed herself to continue living her lie and eventually married the boss. And here she vanished from Desiree's life for decades, eventually moving to an exclusive gated neighborhood in Los Angeles and giving birth to her own daughter, blonde, blue-eyed Kennedy.

Although Desiree searched for her twin for years she could not find any trace of her. Jude had always known she had an aunt Stella but Kennedy had never been told the truth of her mother's early life. A chance encounter between Jude and Stella began years of hushed secrets, terrifyingly hidden by Stella. Once Kennedy became involved in Jude's life, Stella feared that her lies would now destroy her carefully cultivated existence.

What an interesting story this is. I like both Desiree and Stella, although the latter is a bit harder to embrace. Of course I wanted an eventual reunion with an emotional acceptance by the twins of each other's lives. Stella and Desiree may have been two halves of one person but their lives were anything but similar. I enjoyed this one.

I loved this book. I remember reading it in the summer and being so engrossed in the story, almost like I was reading a thriller. And I never had so many page flags!

Glad you enjoyed it as well.