Nella Larsen's Passing, written during and as a part of the Harlem Renaissance, offers a captivating exploration of a specific time, place, and people.

The emotions and experiences of the main characters, especially the women and their diverse approaches to life, race, marriage, and potential futures, are astonishingly complex, defying simple solutions.

Clare Kendry, who chooses to "pass" as a white woman, grew up on the South Side of Chicago but resolves to live her adult life far from her roots. Irene Redfield, who knew Clare as a child, encounters her again in a situation where both are temporarily "white." The novella then unfolds, presenting the story from Irene's perspective, delving into the intricacies of womanhood, race, marriage, and the longing for fulfillment, as well as the fear of losing what one has achieved and the questioning of its value.

I am extremely grateful to Constant Reader for selecting this book in August. I have not read many works from this era, and this is an oversight that requires correction. I was previously unaware of Larsen, and I can only imagine how many other remarkable authors and works are waiting to be discovered. This is a powerful selection that leaves readers with more questions than answers.

A brief yet impactful book about race, identity, belonging, and love.

Clare Kendry, a light-skinned mixed-race woman, passes as white and is married to an overtly racist white man. When she encounters her childhood friend, Irene, she endeavors to rekindle their relationship and reinsert herself into the Black community she abandoned, all while concealing her true identity from her husband.

This book poses some fascinating questions regarding the significance of racial identity and loyalty. It is also heavily queer coded. Irene judges Clare's decision to live as a white woman, yet simultaneously grapples with envy and pity towards her old friend.

"It's funny about 'passing.' We disapprove of it and at the same time condone it. It excites our contempt and yet we rather admire it. We shy away from it with an odd kind of revulsion, but we protect it."

This is a quick and thought-provoking read that I highly recommend!

Trigger warnings: racism, use of racial slurs, death.

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The writing was truly beautiful.

It had a certain charm and elegance that immediately captivated my attention.

Every word seemed to be carefully chosen and placed, creating a harmonious and engaging piece.

The author's use of language was masterful, painting vivid pictures in my mind and evoking a range of emotions.

I found myself completely immersed in the text, unable to put it down until I had finished reading.

Loved it with all my heart.

It was one of those rare pieces of writing that leave a lasting impression and make you appreciate the power of words.

I will definitely be looking forward to reading more from this talented author in the future.

“It was, she cried silently, enough to suffer as a woman, an individual, on one’s own account, without having to suffer for the race as well.” This powerful statement sets the stage for the complex and thought-provoking novel "Passing" by Nella Larsen, written a century ago in 1922.

"Passing" delves into the relationship between racial loyalty and identity. It follows the increasingly tumultuous connection between two biracial women, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry. Both have the ability to pass as white, but their choices in doing so reveal their vastly different racial identities, concerns, and personalities.

The novel begins with a chance meeting at a tea shop. Irene and Clare, once childhood friends in Harlem, were separated when Clare chose to leave the Black community and pass as white, marrying a white man. Their encounter leads to a series of events that unfold with tension and drama.

Irene, who lives within the African-American community and is married to a black man, is initially hesitant to involve herself with Clare again. However, Clare's desire to be among black people draws her back into Irene's life. As the story progresses, Irene becomes increasingly worried about Clare's safety and the potential impact on her own marriage.

The more Clare shows up at Irene's house and parties, the more Irene suspects a special relationship between Clare and her husband, Brian. While Clare welcomes the possibility of her husband finding out the truth about her race, Irene is terrified of the same.

The novel builds to a tense climax, with the tone becoming increasingly fraught as Clare continues to take risks and Irene's anxiety mounts. The surprising ending leaves readers with much to思考 and discuss about race, identity, and the choices we make.

\\n  It hurt. It hurt like hell. But it didn’t matter, if no one knew.\\n

My god, this book! It is truly a masterpiece. It is so incredibly beautiful and the writing is just as beautiful. If someone were to tell me that this book was published recently, I would wholeheartedly believe them, because it in no way reads like a book that was published almost 100 years ago. Larsen's writing style is contemporary, fresh, well-rounded, and impactful. While I can't claim to be personally familiar with all of the book's themes, I wholeheartedly support the message it conveys and feel a deep sense of sympathy for those who have and still are struggling to have their voices heard and are facing discrimination due to their race. I highly recommend this book and I'm extremely glad that it didn't go unnoticed by me. I firmly believe that it is a classic that holds the same significance in literature and feminism, and it is also an important exploration of identity. It is simply beautiful.

Quick update: Earlier, I watched the Netflix movie adaptation of this book, and I was left speechless for several minutes after it ended. It gave me chills.

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{This book, along with other classics that I aim to read this year, will be featured on a shelf called classic-lit-palooza. The titles are chosen from a list that I compiled on a sleep-deprived Wednesday night, consisting of books considered classics or cult novels. It includes all those famous books that I've always wanted to read and have challenged myself to finally pick up in 2021 - 2022. I'll do my best to review or rate these books objectively, and try not to let any questionable or old-fashioned content spoil my enjoyment. However, I'll definitely take into account that many of these novels might contain or glorify behaviors and elements that are now considered problematic by today's standards.}

What can I possibly say about this book that hasn't already been said? It is a simple story, yet it is filled with so many layers. It exposes a great deal about the ideology of those who could pass for white, those who couldn't, those who would, and those who wouldn't in 1920s America.

It is a painful exposé on the love and hate between women who have it all, the women who want it all, and those who covet. The curiosity, longing, and lustful sentiments flow both ways between the two main characters, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry.

There is also an interesting exploration of a lesser-spoken-about topic in the book: the idolization of access to white or light-skinned women by Black men when given the option. Even in the 1920s, some were willing to risk everything - their family, wife, and life - even if it would ultimately kill them, and in many cases, it did. We wonder how these dynamics have historically driven Black women to rage, perhaps even to the point of killing. But we'll never truly know... The ending was wild.

All in all, it is a great read. You can sense that Nella Larson was exorcising her demons through this work. I particularly loved that the edition I read had an extended introduction about Nella Larson's life and upbringing. The ending of this edition also included a detailed exploration of the old-school terminology used in the book, as well as discussion questions, notable authors of the time, and additional literary food for thought.

It is truly a classic of Black Literature and a good read that offers much to ponder.

My only gripe with everyone's "must read" from last year, The Vanishing Half, was that I craved MORE of the story. Typically, I'm the first to complain about pages that could be trimmed or to push aside books that seem overly long on my to-be-read list. However, that particular story was the rare exception where I could have easily devoured an additional one or two hundred pages.

When I saw this novella highlighted on Instagram earlier this week by someone I follow - who also gave a shoutout to the aforementioned title - I immediately headed to the library to check if it was available. Imagine my surprise when not only was it there, but it also had a new introduction written by Brit Bennett herself. Now, I didn't read the introduction (because I'm still a bit of a jerk and just want to get to the heart of the matter), but I think it's fairly safe to assume that this short work served as the inspiration behind Bennett's bestseller.

The story here is precisely what the title proclaims - about "passing." Irene and Clare knew each other as children, but have taken vastly different paths in life. While both are fair-skinned enough to be mistaken for white, only Clare has chosen the option of attempting to pass. Irene married a black doctor, while Clare married a white... well, bigot. This is the story of how their lives intersect through a chance encounter as adults.

I had never heard of Nella Larsen before picking this up, but boy, can she tell a story! As soon as I met Clare's husband, I was on the edge of my seat. She built up the tension so incredibly well, and that ending! Holy cow, that ending!!!! I usually dislike short stories as much as I dislike books with 500+ pages, but this one was nearly perfect.

4.5 Stars

Nella Larsen's another remarkable novel, set in Harlem during the 1920s and penned in 1929, is a captivating exploration of various themes.

It centers around two childhood friends, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry, told from Redfield's third-person perspective. The title, "Passing," holds significant meaning as it refers to Kendry, a person of mixed heritage, passing as white, even to her racist husband.

This novel delves not only into race but also sexuality and gender. The plot begins with a chance meeting between the two women at a restaurant after losing touch as they grew up. Later, they encounter each other again, and there are suggestions of an affair between Kendry and Brian, Redfield's husband, along with the risk of Kendry's secret being exposed.

The story builds to a tragic climax. There are numerous subtexts in the book, such as the complex relationship between Clare and Irene and the speculation about Brian's homosexuality due to his sexless relationship with Irene. Larsen vividly portrays the psychological toll of racism and sexism.

While there is some disagreement among scholars, Jennifer DeVere Brody's argument that Redfield and Kendry represent conflicting ideologies is particularly interesting. Redfield is both intrigued by Kendry's "passing" and concerned about her own life, grappling with the concept of security.

Larsen masterfully weaves together all the tensions and presents an open ending, which adds to the novel's complexity. It is a novel that I look forward to revisiting and is one of my favorites, although I still have a soft spot for "Quicksand."

4.5/5

My rating of this book has been influenced by my recent reading of Larsen's outstanding Quicksand. It's true that the scale here depends on the author's own capabilities rather than a careful calibration across all I've read. If the latter were the case, many other previous works would have to be downgraded. But since I don't have the time or inclination for that, just trust me that Larsen is in a class of her own, regardless of how her works compare to each other.

Authors like Larsen, who are highly qualified, take fiction seriously and pay little attention to what is expected of them. They choose the same old themes from centuries past and shape their own lives accordingly, bringing to life a story as old as humanity. The power of such a story lies in the profound insight it offers, something literature had never been able to provide before. Someone as skilled and brave as Larsen is not only good for but necessary to the written world. She was a pioneer for black woman writers in an age when those who flourished were later buried with accusation and contempt. Fortunately, her words were too powerful to be forgotten.

Security is a gamble with stakes that increase with every additional set of rules imposed on the gambler. There are rules for the rich, for the married, for the woman with no financial options other than an accepted husband, for the black woman who must constantly choose to maintain the life she was raised for. There are rules for the one who will be blamed if the children turn out wrong, for the one who will be ruined if the social strata is not flattered and supported just right, for the one whose range of expression cannot be fixed by simply eliminating racism, for the one who cannot even explain her sexual needs to herself, and for the one who knows too much about lynching, rape, and the implicit hate the world has for people like her to ever afford to be weak. These various stories have been told in different ways, but not all together, not like this.

The power of the one who has played this restricted game with such enduring finesse, now able to take a moment of self-suppression that has lasted year after year and finally, finally, act. We may know the story, but to know both that and, deep down, that we would all, every single one of us, in that body, in that life, in those circumstances, act the same? That's the best of literature for you.

Unfortunately, I have not read many of the great works of the Harlem Renaissance. Previously, I have only read the novels "Native Son," "Go Tell It on the Mountain," and "Invisible Man," and that's pretty much it.

The simplicity of the way this story is told, with a heavy and interesting overuse of commas and a well-rounded anecdote that deals with self-proclamation and self-deception, makes it my favorite in the canon. It addresses the race problem using melodrama, a very tricky device that feels comfortable and at home here.

Irene is a woman who has bought into her class. She is deeply involved in her social circle and has a motherly nature. However, when her polar opposite enters her life, a question arises: how much of your race defines you as a person? Race is an issue, and it is bravely brought to the forefront with minimal embellishment. All of this occurs at a swift and elegant pace.

Nella Larsen's work is truly a remarkable piece of art.

The story, although short in length, is filled with depth and complexity. It delves into profound questions such as our identity, the meaning of our existence, and the hows and whys of our actions. Even days after reading, it continues to haunt me, leaving a lasting impression.

Larsen's writing style is captivating. At first, her sentences may seem a bit awkward, but as you progress, they develop a unique syncopated rhythm, much like jazz. It can initially throw you off balance, but if you go with the flow, it will reward you with a rich and engaging experience.

Another aspect that sets Larsen apart is her careful word choice. Words like "forlorn," "clamorous," "supercilious," "vehemence," and "acquiescence" might seem overly fancy, but in her hands, they work perfectly. Each word is used deliberately to convey a specific meaning, adding depth and nuance to the tale.

If you're not particularly interested in the technical aspects of writing, there's still plenty to enjoy. The story builds tension, the characters are gradually revealed, and the ending is both unexpected and satisfying. I highly recommend giving this story a read and experiencing it for yourself.

This is a truly remarkable piece that offers a quick and thought-provoking read.

It delves into various aspects that make you stop and reflect. The ideas presented are not only engaging but also have the potential to change your perspective on certain matters.

From start to finish, it keeps you hooked, making you eager to see what comes next.

The author has done an excellent job of presenting the content in a concise yet impactful manner.

I wholeheartedly recommend this article to anyone looking for a stimulating and enlightening read.

It is sure to leave a lasting impression and spark further discussions.

So, don't miss out on this opportunity to expand your mind and gain new insights.

Give it a read and prepare to be amazed.