14 Books Set in the 1980s, From Malibu Rising to Trust Exercise

The Vanishing Half ($17, originally $27) (POPSUGAR Book Club's 2020 Book of the Year!) takes place from the 1954 through to the '90s, and follows two Black identical twin sisters who run away from their small southern town together at 16, but ultimately go on to live vastly different lives apart. After leaving Mallard, Desiree goes on to become a mother to a dark-skinned daughter she later brings back to her childhood home — much to the light-skinned community's dismay and intrigue — while Stella lives in LA, passing as white alongside her white husband and daughter. Brit Bennett's multifaceted bestselling novel explores identity, race, and family relations through five decades between the estranged sisters, who are more connected than they realize.