Quicksand: It is truly astonishing how one can assume that they are the only ones to have experienced a particular emotion or situation. And yet, here comes a book that was written decades before my birth, and it has me completely engrossed, as if I were the protagonist.

If I had been biracial, living in Harlem in the 1920s, I could only imagine the complex and fascinating life I would have led. This book offers such an interesting perspective on that era.

Passing: I have always been utterly fascinated by the concept of Black people passing as white. It has always intrigued me. This book presented an interesting take on this topic.

I really appreciated how the theme of class was so prominent throughout the story, even though it was never explicitly stated. It added an extra layer of depth to the narrative.

I am somewhat saddened that the author didn't have the opportunity to write more before she passed away, but I am extremely grateful that she left us with these two short yet precious literary gems. They have provided me with a unique and thought-provoking reading experience.

Race, community, and one's individual identity - these are complex aspects that shape a person's life. And when it comes to black women, there are additional layers of complexity, especially when experiencing gender issues both within and outside of their race. The remarkable Ms. Nella Larson has given us a profound work with "Passing."

It's important to note that the concept of "passing" is not unique to black women. However, as I delved into the pages of this novel, I couldn't help but consider all the other intricacies that are part of the black woman experience and how they intersect with "passing." This short novel is intense and beautifully written. The diverging experiences of Irene and Clare vividly illustrate the conflicting decisions that black people were forced to make due to a society that was too afraid and too cowardly to embrace the full beauty and strength of humanity.

Imagine having to deny your true essence and water down your culture in order to avoid dehumanization and racism, all in the pursuit of a more peaceful existence. While I don't claim to fully understand the depth of "passing," its very existence highlights the flaw and shallowness of the concept of "race" and how it prevents some from truly accepting others in their full and unique glory.

Here's a powerful quote that stood out to me during Women's HERstory Month: "Sitting alone in the quiet living room in the pleasant firelight, Irene Redfield wished, for the first time in her life that she had not been born a Negro. For the first time she suffered and rebelled because she was unable to disregard the burden of race. 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. It was a brutality, and undeserved. Surely no other people so cursed as Ham's dark children.” This quote encapsulates the pain and frustration that many black women have endured throughout history.

The Harlem Renaissance is the only historical era that I care one whit about.

It was a time of great cultural and artistic flourishing, and these two novellas represent some of my favorite writing from that period. I re-read them often, as I find them incredibly evocative and mercurial.

The stories transport me back to that vibrant and exciting time, filled with music, art, and literature. For a long time, I've had a fantasy of writing a treatment of "Passing" as a full-length film.

I think it would make a wonderful movie, with its complex themes of identity, race, and gender. However, I'm too lazy to actually pursue this idea. Maybe one day, when I have more time and energy, I'll finally get around to it.

Until then, I'll continue to enjoy these two novellas and dream about what could have been.

I was completely unprepared for this, but perhaps it was for the best. Here are some detailed notes on each work:

Quicksand: Stylistically, the prose is rather conventional, yet it features some interesting indirectness and surprisingly concise and fresh turns of phrase. For me, the structural aspects were the most captivating part of the prose, specifically the pacing and the lacunae.

Regarding the content, the main character, Helga Crane, finds her very identity suffocating. In America, being of mixed race with a white mother and a black father subjects her to bigotry and patriarchy, conditioning her autonomy. Her way of being reminds me of Camus' The Stranger and Delillo's "Baader-Meinhof". That is, Helga rebels instinctively but in a groping manner. She is pulled through life mostly against her intentions by the currents of irrational impulsivity and the constraints of cultural normativity. She is foolish like all of us, acting only on our incomplete knowledge and muddy intuitions. However, Helga is braver than most as she is willing to take big risks. She abandons her stable teaching job and fiancé, and later, a life of material comfort, to escape the asphyxiation of daily unfulfillment and the alienation of objectification. Her final attempt to shed despair is a mis-self-diagnosis of worldly grasping and a misprescription of metaphysics. She ultimately prefers Nietzsche to Kierkegaard, but by then it is too late. She finds herself crushed under the burden of childbearing, a brutal indictment.

Passing: This should be required reading. The prose is tighter than that of Quicksand. Everything hurts now. Liminality throws open massive casement windows. This is a reckoning. If you can only read one, make it this one. If you will read both, end on this note.

I read Quicksand sometime in either 2014 or 2015. However, I never reviewed it or marked it as read because Goodreads didn't have a "reread" feature then. Sadly, now I don't remember it at all, so I'll have to go back and reread it sometime in the future. All that being said, I own the bind up version, but this review is only for \\n  Passing\\n.

Irene unexpectedly runs into Clare, a former classmate, in Chicago after Clare disappeared during their school years. There were rumors that upon her father's death, Clare had decided to "pass" as white, and it turns out to be true. Irene soon finds herself deeply entangled in Clare's life. She initially tries to refuse being Clare's lifeline to black culture, but frequently concedes, inviting her back into the world by taking her along to social events in Harlem. (This book came out in 1929, during the Harlem Renaissance.)

Irene embarks on a journey of intense introspection and profound reflections about loyalty. Ultimately, she allows her true feelings to take over, and the result unfortunately ends in a tragedy.

Ugh, Clare! The fact that she subjected her "friends" to her husband's hatred and tyranny without any warning was extremely aggravating. That particular scene truly had me flabbergasted. This book poses so many thought-provoking questions. It seems simple on the surface, but in reality, it has an incredible amount of complexity.

I've actually only read "Quicksand" (I'll get to passing at another time), but damn.

I read it for a class focused on discussing marginalized groups. With the professor I had, we delved deep into discussing the nature of identity and social groups based on identity. We explored what they are, how they operate in society (or perhaps how society makes them operate? ;)). We also looked at how they function differently in various societies.

"Quicksand" was an outstanding demonstration of those concepts through fiction, especially in the case of anti-black racism, exoticism, and colorism. The main character, Helga Crane, of Black American and Danish descent, lives in three main places throughout the book. She works as a teacher in a Black, Christian school in the South US. She then spends some time in Denmark with her aunt. And she lives in Harlem in NYC during or around the time of the Harlem Renaissance.

"Quicksand" had some of the finest writing I've ever come across, without a doubt. Larsen is at times subtle and nuanced with her language, and at other times very poetic and evocative of profound and gripping emotional experiences. It rather reminds me of attending an orchestral performance or an opera, or anything that is long-form. It's long and drawn-out, but if you pay even a little attention, you know it's a fucking masterpiece, with how all the little details interact with each other. And the ending is so tragic in a way I never anticipated, yet it was so much more poignant than many other tragic endings I've read.

This isn't a book for impatient people seeking a quick fix. However, if you give it the time and respectful attention it merits, it will give back just as much, if not more, than you invest in it. This book is on my top shelf in my home library, meaning it's one of my favorites. Seriously worthwhile.

Both stories came from an extremely interesting perspective that rarely comes up.

The book contains two stories, both about more or less the same issue namely: a mix of a black and a white parent.

Story one: Quicksand

Quicksand is a tragic story of a restless Danish-Afro-American teacher who in 1920s America is searching for her place in the world.

Personally, I found this a very unique and beautiful story.

The whole story is based on the development of the protagonist: Helga Crane.

We truly follow her in the search for herself. She feels at home nowhere and thus makes idiosyncratic and somewhat strange choices.

The story really made me think of a Bildungsroman about the development of Helga Crane.

Often stories are about main characters who exactly know what they want and go for it.

Here the focus was completely elsewhere, which made the story very beautiful and realistic.

Story two: Passing

Passing is about two friends of mixed blood. Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry, who each make use of the fact that they can pass for white.

This was also a very unique story.

Although it was more about a story between two characters than a psychological novel like in the first story.

Personally, I found this a bit less interesting, but nevertheless it was a very exciting story with a very special ending.

Certainly a book that could serve as basic knowledge in relation to the race issue.

For a literature course, I have been reading some interesting works.

I must say that I really enjoyed "Passing". The story and the characters in it really captured my attention. Irene, one of the main characters, is truly a great deal more likable than Helga from "Quicksand".

Irene has a certain charm and authenticity that makes it easy for the reader to connect with her. Her actions and decisions throughout the story are relatable and understandable.

On the other hand, I did not have the same level of enjoyment when reading "Quicksand". Helga's character seemed a bit more complex and perhaps a little less sympathetic.

Overall, my experience with these two works has been quite diverse. While "Passing" has left a positive impression on me, "Quicksand" did not quite hit the mark in the same way.

I look forward to exploring more literature and seeing how different works can evoke such varying emotions and responses from the reader.

This book encompasses two novellas penned by Nella Larson, namely Quicksand and Passing.

Both of these are tales that center around the experiences of biracial African-American women during the 1920s.

Quicksand narrates the story of Helga, an African-American woman who was brought up by her Danish-American mother and a white family. It details her arduous attempts to find her place in the South, Harlem, and Denmark.

Passing, on the other hand, is recounted from the perspective of Irene, a light-skinned African-American. However, it is truly about Clare, a friend (if that is the appropriate term) of Irene's, who passes as white and is married to a white (and extremely racist) husband.

Both stories explore a plethora of complex issues related to race and delve profoundly into the inner lives of their protagonists. One of Larson's most remarkable strengths in these novellas lies in her capability to expose the intricate inner workings of her protagonists' minds and to express their subjective experiences.

I perused Quicksand and Passing for a history class that I am enrolled in, which focuses on racial identity. They serve as excellent sources for comprehending the intersections of race, class, and gender. I relished both of them and would most definitely recommend them to anyone who has an interest in these issues (or simply in a good book).

This review solely pertains to "Passing" (as I haven't read "Quicksand").

"Passing" is an intricate and multi-faceted novel that delves into a plethora of themes such as race, culture, identity, love, friendship, and psychology. It took me some time to adjust to the rhythm of Larsen's prose, and thus I had a bit of a struggle during the initial couple of chapters. The relationship between Irene and Clare is truly captivating. On one hand, Irene is completely consumed by Clare when she discovers that Clare is "passing" as white, yet on the other hand, she is almost repulsed. It appears that Irene views Clare's desire to reconnect with her black heritage as somewhat distasteful, and yet there is an almost admirable quality in Clare's boldness.

The tensions escalate when there are hints that Clare and Irene's husband might be involved in some sort of affair, but Irene never confronts her about it. All of this builds up to the shocking twist at the end, which is sure to spark plenty of discussion in book clubs!

The adaptation currently available on Netflix is a commendable interpretation of the text. It accurately captures the atmosphere of 1920s Harlem and the underlying currents between Irene, Clare, and Brian.

I thought these stories were truly fascinating.

Larsen's rich dialogue and remarkable character development made the reading experience highly enjoyable.

It was quite challenging for me to bear in mind that these stories were set and written during the mid-1920s.

The life depicted within them seemed more in line with what I would have envisioned for the 1950s.

The dialogues sounded modern to my ears, and there was an easy availability of cars, taxis, modern conveniences, and ample leisure time.

The characters in "Passing," in particular, although they resided in Manhattan, appeared to lead a stereotypically suburban life, with a focus on children, social events, shopping, and middle-class respectability.

Despite the evident affluence, the color line remained distinct and devastating, adding a layer of complexity and poignancy to the narratives.

Overall, Larsen's works offer a unique and engaging perspective on a bygone era, blurring the boundaries between different time periods and inviting readers to explore the nuances of race, class, and gender.