Passing

This is a fascinating glimpse into the lives of black people living in New York in the 1920s. Highly recommended.

Okay it was.. i mean it was quite a book though

A really nuanced exploration of the psychological toll of racial identity in this country. Glad it's getting more attention, it's invaluable.

Beautifully written and important read, but I can't say I've enjoyed a reading experience.
Glad I've finally read it though.

A subtle exploration of the inner thoughts and feelings of a woman caught in a world of prejudice, judgment and complex relationships.
It touches on the hideousness of apartheid USA in the 20s, but is more about insecurity, masking and getting by in this challenging landscape.
Even tho I’d seen the film I still gasped at the end.

oh damn...nella larsen is amazing i'm still processing this audiobook honestly

Brilliant. This is a story told on so many levels. Set in an informatuve, educational and shameful historical context but also a gripping domestic drama. I did not expect that ending and I can usually see it coming. This book is a cut above, bravo!

I’m not much of a fan of short stories but I thought I give this a go. I liked the characters a lot but the plot took forever to get into even for a short book.

This book was thought-provoking, challenging, and unexpected in so many ways. More so than Quicksand, which I read over a decade ago, this novel inspired me to think about different degrees of racial passing, how Black people who don’t pass physically can pass socially, and the ways racial passing can intersect with other forms of passing. Because I saw pieces of myself in Irene’s obsession with stability and safety, the book also forced me to reflect on times when I’ve chosen to be inauthentic due to some perceived benefit. That forced self-reflection helped me have a little bit more empathy for Clare than I anticipated. All in all, my big takeaway from this story is that all forms of passing come with a cost that we can't always see until we're forced to pay it.

A short but thought-provoking novel about two black women, once childhood friends, who are able to "pass" as white. One of them hides her race and lives as a white woman, married to a racist man, though she longs to be part of the black community again. Years later, the women are reunited, and we see how racial identity, class, and gender have shaped their lives. Both characters are quite compelling, and their "frenemy" relationship kept me guessing about what would happen. Beautifully written.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this audiobook from Audible.com.

Thoughts: This was okay. For some reason, I expected more history in here. Although given that this is a classic that was written when that history wasn't history, I shouldn't have been surprised. I also expected this to be more about the ramifications of a black woman passing as a white woman, but this really wasn't about that either. This was more about how desperate women were to keep their "good" life station through deceit.

Irene is a black woman married to a black man; they live a well off if not necessarily happy life with their two children. Irene and her husband don't really love each other but they tolerate each other fine. Then Clare comes back into Irene's life. Clare is passing as a white woman and is married to a white man who abhors black people. Clare misses spending time with black folk and starts to hang around Harlem more and more and worm her way into Irene's life. When Irene suspects her husband of infidelity with Clare, she becomes paranoid and starts to take drastic measures.

This does an excellent job of showing how having women depend on men for their livelihoods can make them defensive and aggressive in protecting their situation. I felt like that message was even stronger than the message of racial divide and the message around Clare wanting to spend more time with a black community even though she's been passing as white for some time.

This story ages fine, it was easy to listen to and the audiobook is well done. I didn't really enjoy this, though. I thought all of the characters in here were manipulative and unlikable; I really disliked them all. I understand that this characterization is supposed to be a product of the divisive era. I also felt like this ended very very abruptly and felt really unfinished.

I guess this is a fine look into this kind of issues, and the story hasn't age poorly. Mostly, reading this just made me feel sad about the way humans used to (and still do) treat each other.

My Summary (3/5): Overall this okay, it is a decent classic story that gives a glimpse into the sexism and racism of the 1920's. I didn't particularly enjoy this. I disliked all of the characters immensely and thought the story felt unfinished. This left me feeling mostly just sad. However, it is an easy read and does provide an intriguing glimpse into that era.

I really enjoyed this book and will be purchasing a physical copy to re-read and annotate. The writing is poignant, beautiful, and sometimes difficult, but do not disappoint in evoking emotion. I often found myself experiencing the same foreboding and heart quickening feeling as the main character. The fear that comes with "passing" is something that I will never personally experience, but to imagine living a lie and having to abandon all you know in pursuit of another life that ultimately is not all that you thought it would be and only to end up missing something as little as the laughter of your people, it's sad. I hate that I came across this book so late in life, but I'm nevertheless thankful that I have had the privilege to experience it. This is easily one of my favorite reads and will stick with me forever.

Shoutout to booktuber Bree Hill for putting me on to this must read.

4.5 stars

Childhood friends Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry reconnect after many years. Irene has remained in the black community of her youth, while Clare has married a bigoted white man who does not know his wife is of mixed race. Clare misses a feeling of community and befriends Irene’s family, spending time at their house and attending local functions. Irene is not completely comfortable with her old friend and is troubled by her decision to “pass.” This troubled feeling is at the heart of the book.

The story is narrated in third person from Irene’s perspective. It examines loyalty, longing, respect, risk-taking, and identity. I read it as both an indictment of racism and a portrayal of the heavy personal cost of social mores that require racial categorization. It was published in 1929, during a time when “separate but equal” was the law of the land in the US. I was unprepared for the ending and it offers the reader many possible interpretations. I can see why this book is considered a classic.

Set (and published) in the 1920s, Clare and Irene were friends and ran into each other after they hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Beyond this, I had to read the summary on GR to get an idea of what was going on. They are both black women and one of them (I can’t remember which) was passing for white. Apparently (based on the summary I read), the one passing is married to a racist man who doesn’t know she is actually black.

I listened to the audio and obviously, wasn’t paying close enough attention to even know what was happening in the book. It didn’t (obviously) hold my interest at all.

Two light-skin mixed-race friends grow up to be in two different situations. Irene Redfield decides to marry a Black man and remain in the world she was born into. Clare Kendra decides to marry a white man, "pass" as white and live in the "white" world until she accidentally runs into her old friend and experiences Irene's world. Enjoyed the book and learned about the phenomenon of passing.

This rather slim book packs a punch. Read The Vanishing Half awhile ago which made me think deeper about the act of "passing" and how that would play out through a persons life. Highly recommend both books

I am simply in awe of this writing talent. A short read, yet brimming with detail and nuance. Timeless and brilliant.

This novel is a remarkable story of two early twentieth century African American women who had grown up together but whose lives diverged as they grew up. When a chance encounter brings them together again after a number of years, we learn that one married a black man and became active in the Harlem Renaissance; the other -- who was light-skinned enough to "pass" -- married a white man (a racist one, at that), leaving her heritage and previous identity behind. Can one truly reinvent oneself? How succesfully can one construct a self out of nothing? The ending was a shocker.

An interesting book but with no likable characters, which I'm sure was intentional. Passing as white is not the only kind of passing going on here. The novel presents a point of view we don't usually get, but still this is a book obsessed with class and appearances.

For Harlem Renaissance, but a good and earth-shattering read. Irene's mind was expressed flawlessly.

2022 pandemic read. Wow. The story of Nella Larsen, herself, is equally fascinating.

It is not clear how Clare died. She might have fallen or been pushed by Irene. The possibility of it being the latter is astounding. What lies in human hearts? Can jealousy cause someone to kill? (Irene had thought that something was going on between her husband and Clare.)

I found the women to be silly and so wrapped up in themselves playing a dangerous game that it almost hurt to finish it.

I don't know why, every time I read a book published decades before I was born, I continue to be astonished at how great and "readable" it is. Maybe it's lingering self-doubt from having to read and comprehend Shakespeare at a breakneck pace in high school. Whatever it is, it's a shame because it keeps me from experiencing books like Passing. This slight novel turned out to be much more than I anticipated. It had been a while since I had read a synopsis, and I am so thankful because the dark twist caught me off-guard. This is a haunting book and reads nearly like it was written today. I would have gladly swapped it for Shakespeare.

I read this book with increasing fascination. Not because it taught me anything new about passing, but because of the layered nature of Irene's inner conflict. Also, concerning Clare, it was my first time seeing this particular dynamic in fiction, I think: of one who'd passed and now longed to come back.

Yet, even with my fascination, the book's short length worked in favor of my reading situation, since I tend not to read long novels this bleak, where all the principal characters are so unhappy with their lives.

With that said, a novella like this disproves the myth that some believe—the idea that short fiction can't be deep or complex, with well-developed characters. A skilled writer can pack a lot into relatively few words when that's all a particular story calls for.

Second read review
I reread this sooner than I would have liked for a book club. My first read was by audiobook last fall. This time I read a physical copy of the book. I think the audiobook is actually better. During my second read, Larsen's writing never reached a point of feeling smooth or effortless. Sentence construction and vocab choices felt a little awkward at times. It may have been because I'd read this so recently and my mind wasn't completely engaged, but I know the awkwardness is completely unnoticeable in the audiobook.

During this second read, the biggest thing I took away was when this story was placed, shortly after the war. It made Brian easier to understand as a character. In matters of race, I also felt like Brian, Irene, and Clare represented a solid spectrum of how black people deal with racism in America. Brian is incredibly relatable, Irene is incredibly familiar, and I imagine most black people have known at least one Clare. The discussions these three characters have around race are so classic and enduring. They are the same discussions I've had with family and friends throughout my life.

I know some people read queerness in this book, so I tried to look out for it in this read, but I just don't see it. Irene and Clare's dynamic reminds me so much of a platonic friendship I had in my twenties. And Irene's loveless marriage didn't feel like it was anything deeper than a woman of her time not having many options. So, I won't be adding this to my own queer lit canon. But still an enjoyable read.

First read review
This book is tale of "fuck around and find out" and "play stupid games, win stupid prizes." Irene is a dream protagonist. I love watching a mature, socially competent, self-assured woman go through a difficult situation. And the difficult situation in this novel is Irene's cuckoo, passing childhood friend breezing back into her life. Irene is such a charming character with her ability to navigate all spaces and situations so eloquently while keeping true to herself and her core desires. And her cuckoo passing friend, Clare is a lovely antihero or villain. I have a special fondness for bad mothers. The first half of the book sets up their dynamic and things quickly begin ratcheting up for a very tense ending. Incredible.

I will say that Larsen is very straightforward about Irene's core desires and Clare's personality flaws, which are in direct conflict. I'm not so sure she had to be. Leaving it for the reader to figure out may have made it a little more engaging or mysterious or impactful. But no, this is a rather straight-forward story with an only slightly mysterious ending. Still, incredibly enjoyable.

Quick, tightly written piece that reminded me of Katherine Mansfield, with a well-rendered mix of interior struggles, interpersonal cruelty, and a thoughtful exploration of the intricacies of racial identity in America. A breezy read that is never unengaging, though the ending wraps up in a sort of pat and typical fashion that is neither satisfying nor surprising. I'm am surprised that I never read this in high school or college (read a good share of Harlem Renaissance literature), I'm glad to see it is getting some well-deserved attention recently. I listened to the Tessa Thompson-read audiobook and her delivery was expert and nuanced.

Interesting subject i never thought about. Good writing. Surprising ending.

3.5 stars but rounded up. The ending! Really the whole journey... but that ending!!! I read The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett right before this — they were an interesting pair together.

This short classic, set in New York City, was originally published in 1929 during the Harlem Renaissance. It examined the phenomenon of “passing” – a black person acting as a white person. Of course, the American context has changed significantly since 1929. The concept of race is now, thankfully, widely considered a social construct, without any biological merit. The concept of passing, though still present on occasion, is less of an issue.

Nonetheless, Larsen gives us insight into how a culture obsessed with race, as early twentieth-century America was, can sometimes devolve into strange scenarios. In this particular scenario, Irene Redfield lives a comfortable life in Harlem with her physician-husband and children. Notably, she has light skin, but lives as an African American. She becomes reacquainted with a childhood friend Claire Bellew/Kendry. Claire, likewise, has light skin, but effectively “passes” as a white woman with a white husband. Even Claire’s husband does not know of her black lineage.

By resuming a loose friendship with Irene, Claire realizes a spiritual longing for the black community in Harlem. Perhaps this is innate, due to her upbringing; perhaps this stems from living some kind of inauthentic existence. Nonetheless, Claire begins to spend time secretly with Irene whenever Claire’s husband is out of town on business. The husband, however, is openly racist and routinely uses the n-word. The obvious instability in this scenario ends up playing out in a shocking manner.

In a post-George Floyd era, this book addresses timely issues such as how race affects how we interact in the world. Race in 1920s America is different than race in the 2020s, granted, but we aren’t so far as to be fully colorblind. To cite Cornel West, race still matters. Thus, contemporary readers should not treat this classic as a mere relic of the past.

Should people be made to feel ashamed of their race? Is it all about how one presents one’s self? What role does authenticity have to play with the construct of race? This book’s style is easily accessible by many, even youth (though it does contain the n-word). At around 150 pages, it doesn’t take long to read either. In perusing it, perhaps we will find out that the world of the 1920s isn’t all that much different from today’s inequities.