Passing (Penguin Classics)

Author, Nurse, and Librarian, Nella Larsen was part of the Harlem Renaissance. Her mother was a white Danish Immigrant, her father, a mixed-race Afro-Caribbean immigrant from the Danish West Indies. She said he died when she was very young. Her mother married again, to a white Danish immigrant, and they had a daughter, Nella’s sister, Anna Elizabeth. Larsen was Nella’s stepfather’s name. Nella encountered discrimination in the white communities but was also somewhat excluded from African American communities because her background and life experiences were different. Her struggles to find a place to belong transferred over into her writing and added an extraordinary power to it that is picked up by all of us readers who feel of have felt lost and out of place in the world. In this way, she transcends mastering the craft of writing and takes it to the exceptional and magical level of art. This was written in the 1920s so some of the word choices and sentence structure choices are more formal and not quite as clear to some modern readers. However, that is one of the many things about the book that I liked. In the book, the main character, Irene, is married to a prominent doctor in Harlem. Nella was also married to a prominent doctor in Harlem. Even though the plot is about passing and that's something that is not dealt with today, this book is about so much more which is fully relevant today. The protagonist and antagonist are African-American women who have a very different outlook on their race. Irene feels loyalty and pride to her race and Clare has loyalty and pride only to what she wants out of life. Nothing else matters to her at all. This is the source of conflict. Clare, the antagonist, is not a likable person but she is one you are drawn to, the train wreck kind. You want to watch her just to see what will happen to her. On the other hand, most women regardless of their race, will not only like Irene, but will be able to easily step into her shoes. It’s a novella and to the author's credit, that’s all it needs to be due to her expert mastering of the craft of writing. And the ending …is absolutely superb. A must read.

I was unaware of this book and found it when I was searching for a “classic by an author of color” for a reading challenge. At 95 pages this is more of a novella than a novel. It was written in 1927 during the Harlem Renaissance. Given the time period, it is a remarkable book that is still relevant today. The story is narrated by Irene Redfield, a light-skinned black woman. She is married to a black physician and they have two sons. She is living in Harlem with her family but grew up in Chicago. During a trip home, she meets a childhood friend named Clare Bellew. Clare is also light-skinned but has decided to “go native,” living her life as a white woman. She is married to a wealthy white man who is an overt racist. He has no idea that his wife and their young daughter are black. Clare insinuates herself into Irene’s life and even comes to New York City for an extended stay. Irene is both fascinated and repelled by Clare. The book examines each woman’s approach to passing for white. Irene, who is insecure, seems to envy Clare’s confidence and also resent it. She also fears that Clare has made a dangerous mistake by lying to her husband about her heritage. There are several tense moments in the book when Irene has the opportunity to out Clare. She always chooses to keep her secret. Irene’s internal struggle between being proud of her heritage and protecting her friend is painfully drawn out to a horrible conclusion. Though the book is short, as are the sentences and paragraphs, it packs a big punch. You can read this quickly, but the book is better when you savor the words and think about the implications. To me, the novel is about mixed feelings and blurred lines. You can feel Irene’s ambivalence. The author does not provide any “right” answers and the book ends with even more questions. Some literary critics suggest that there is a lesbian element to the relationship between Irene and Clare. I wondered about that myself, but that is not a central part of the book in my opinion. Passing was not a part of my college reading list, but I am so glad that I found it.

The title of this book refers to a group of light-skinned African-American women who can "pass" for white during Jim Crow. I give this book five stars, with one reservation. I found the book fascinating, with some amazing writing, and a riveting plot line that you are dropped into without the slightest suspicion, and blindsided by the depth of the psychological drama that unfolds. My criticism is that the book ends too quickly, and too abruptly. I would have read three times as much about this astounding world, and all of the multiple characters, black and white, that are brought to life so vividly, along with the glamor of the Harlem Renaissance. It should have been a much longer book. This writer got a Guggenheim and then couldn't get her subsequent book published. I heard about this book because it was the subject of a discussion at the Waterstones bookstore in London, and since it was an American writer, it made me curious. I suspect the author's life, as a black woman in those days, led her into the kind of poverty and obscurity that Zora Neale Hurston ended up living, as a hotel maid, at the time of her death. We lost out on the kind of body of work they might have produced had they been of a race, class and gender that offered more support for their literary gifts.

Passing was an interesting book. It followed Irene, an African American woman in the 1920's, and how her life changes when an old friend named Clare comes back into her life. As the title suggests, the book is about "passing" race. In this case, African Americans passing as whites. The characters were certainly intriguing. Clare was unpredictable and a little scary. She didn't really care about anything except her own desires. Irene, on the other hand, believes that she cares about her family, and she does for the most part, although there are some things that she can only see her way. The book takes place over several years and is written in three parts. The layout almost reminds me of a play, which is an interesting way to lay out a novel. The first part sets up the characters and the idea of "passing". The second delves deeper into the issue and establishes who each of the characters are, two years after the first part. The third part is like a finale. Everything spins out of control until it comes crashing down in the end. Passing deals with issues that we are still dealing with today, no matter how far we think we have come. It is interesting to see how the characters in this book regard racism, and what it actually means (for them at least) to pretend to be someone (something?) they are not. I didn't necessarily love this book, but it was a very thoughtful story, and I am glad to have read it. I would recommend this to lovers of literature, and anyone who wants a new perspective on racial issues both today and in the past. I am going to give Passing three out of four hearts.

It is very unfortunate that we only have precious few works by Larsen to enjoy. Chief among them, of course, are the novels Quicksand and Passing. Quicksand, which is a great book, is longer and more complex (and well worth the read), but Passing is a condensed jewel of a book. And scandalous! It's almost inappropriate to describe a work by the masterful Larsen as "juicy", but that it is. Set in early Twentieth Century Harlem, the story focuses on Irene Redfield, the wife of a fairly affluent (albeit discontent) doctor and mother of two boys. All is more or less well until the reintroduction of the beautiful and bewitching Claire Kennedy into Irene's life. Although both Irene and Claire are of African-American heritage, both can "pass" for white and Larsen explores this idea thoroughly. But "passing" is the theme of the book, both in the obvious and non-obvious sense. There are a few underlying subplots (what makes the story all the more scandalous and juicy) including a hidden subplot (SPOILER AHEAD) involving a sexual attraction between Irene and Claire. Remember, this book was written circa 1920 and one couldn't casually write about a love affair between two women. There's no overt love affair between the two women here, however, at least none that Irene will allow. You'll see my meaning in the last few pages of the story. The real star of this book is Larsen's writing style. Her descriptions and phrasings are lush and vivid, yet she avoids pouring it on too thick, making for never a dull moment. She had a gift for expressing raw underlying emotion. This book (with its close companion "Quicksand") is canonical in many universities and rightfully so. Highly recommended!

Passing was first published in 1929, and its cover has changed many times over the years. It is a book that is studied in school and reread by many as it continually compels the reader to challenge assumptions about race. Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield, both biracial, were childhood friends. Clare Kendry married a white man and is “passing” as white. We find out that her white husband has deep-rooted racist beliefs and doesn’t suspect that his wife is not 100% white. Irene Redfield has married a successful doctor and has two children; her husband and children have dark skin, and she lives comfortably with her racial makeup. After not seeing each other for many years, Clare and Irene are reacquainted. Their renewed connection leads to Irene assessing the status of her marriage. Additionally, Irene has great difficulty avoiding Clare, and the reader is led to wonder whether there is a sexual attraction between the two women. This short novel is packed with thought-provoking material for exploring the concept of race and sexuality in early 20th century American society. The author also delves into the themes of social class and friendship. The main characters are surprisingly well-developed for such a thin piece of literature: anger, trustworthiness, loyalty, selfishness, resentment, and insecurity are portrayed through the interactions of characters.

I’m a white man married to a beautiful black woman. We have two likewise beautiful daughters. Neither of them could ‘pass’ but I never would want them to. They are intelligent women who are successful. Funny, but I never knew there was ‘white privilege’ until I married. I made it to a director level in my career and I don’t have a degree. My heart was rent when I realized that my girls would never have that same opportunity. They both have degrees. Why bring all of this up in a book review? Miss Larsen awakened in me how far we’ve come since she wrote this book as a society, but how little actual progress we’ve made. We still hate! We hate people, ideals, cultures, social tendencies that differentiate ‘us from them’ and most disturbing, we sometimes come to hate ourselves because we’ve been told that we’re wrong for being who we are. I was pained by this book. I wasn’t surprised at all my Clair’s death, but I was shocked at Irene’s reaction towards it. Was it shock, or relief? I fear it was the latter, which is troubling as we should never be burdened by someone else simply because they remind us of something that we’re hiding and lying about in ourselves. While 100 years later, there is no need to ‘pass’, we still lock ourselves into a mold that doesn’t fit our soul because we’re told, ‘it’s the way things should be’. That hurts, a lot. I understand the troubles my brothers and sisters face a bit more, by this raw, intelligent and first hand account of the struggle of hiding who you are, because you’re told who you should be. Again, 100 years later, we still try to ‘pass’ and fit in, whether it be in how we look, who we’re told we should be, what we’re supposed to believe in, and how we should think! Miss Larsen, you were a pioneer in pointing out the flaws of the world in you time. I wonder how you feel about the world today. I will do my part to be kind, seek to understand, and make sure others have the peace of heart to be their genuine selves around me. Thank you, Miss Larsen for the gift of heightened understanding that you’ve given me.

At a mere 100 pages, Passing is a fast read packed with an abundance of nuance and insight. Its inclusion in David Bowie’s Top 100 Books list was not by accident.