Passing: Nella Larsen

Passing by Nella Larsen was published in 1929 and was one of only two books by this American author. It is the story of two childhood friends who meet up again by chance in Chicago. Both are light-skinned African-American women who can pass for white. Clare Kendry continues to live in Chicago and has married a white man who does not know that she has Negro blood. The couple have a daughter. Irene Redfield is married to a black doctor; they live in Harlem with their two young boys. Later, Clare wants to continue her friendship with Irene, and Irene resists.

The story is told primarily from Clare's point of view and focuses on her home life, her reactions to Clare, and how the continuation of their friendship affects both of their lives. For me it was an eye-opening picture of the black community in Harlem in the 1920's.

As Clare continues to force her way into Irene's life, it is strange how strongly Irene reacts. At first Irene's husband is disapproving of Clare, then he begins to accept her and enjoy her presence. Clare's husband is very antagonistic towards Negroes, so Clare's visits with the Redfields are in secret. Clare seems to be running away from her life in white society when she visits New York. She is risking her marriage and the loss of her child if her husband becomes aware of her background, but she seems to want that to happen. Irene finds her irritating but irresistible.

Irene meanwhile seems to ignore the fact that racism exists and doesn't want her children to have to deal with that. Her husband is unhappy with their life in New York and wants to move to Brazil where he hopes they would have a better life. Their relationship is very conflicted. Clare's entry into their life, even on an occasional basis, begins to bring Irene's marital problems to the forefront.

The reader can sympathize with Clare's desire to live a different life where she is treated as an equal, but we can also see that the subterfuge takes a great toll on her. It is also interesting that both of these women are married to well-to-do men and have servants. They have attained a dream of wealth and a family, but both are unhappy.

For such a short novel (in my copy less than a hundred pages), this is a very complex story. Some readers were dissatisfied with the ending. I found it surprising but felt that it fit in with the story, leaving some things up in the air. The themes in this book go beyond racism, to the role of women, identity, and the difficulty of relationships. In addition, it is extremely well written.

My first introduction to this book was at Clothes in Books in a post by guest blogger Colm Redmond. I urge you to check out his insights in that post.

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Publisher:  BN Publishing, 2012 (orig. publ. 1929).
Length:      94 pages
Format:      Trade paperback
Setting:      Harlem, New York (mainly)
Genre:        Fiction
Source:      I purchased my copy.

Reading in August

August was the first month in a while that I strayed from reading crime fiction. This month I read one book from my Classics List, Passing by Nella Larsen, and a military fantasy, The Black Company by Glen Cook. I have already reviewed The Black Company. With its emphasis on war and violence (although not much graphic description of such), I was surprised to have liked it so much.


Passing by Nella Larsen was published in 1929 and was one of only two books by this American author. It is the story of two childhood friends who meet up again by chance in Chicago. Both are light-skinned African-American women who can pass for white. Clare Kendry continues to live in Chicago and has married a white man who does not know that she has Negro blood. The couple have a daughter. Irene Redfield is married to a black doctor; they live in Harlem with their two young boys. Later, Clare wants to continue her friendship with Irene, and Irene resists.

Both women are interesting people, but the novel focuses on Irene's life, her reactions to Clare, and how the continuation of their friendship affects both of their lives. The story was different and for me it was an eye-opening picture of the black community in Harlem in the 1920's.




The crime fiction novels I read were:

• The Case of the Restless Redhead by Erle Stanley Gardner
• See Also Deception by Larry D. Sweazy
• From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming
• A Lonely Place to Die by Wessel Ebersohn

August was a lovely month of reading. There was not a bad (or even mediocre) book in the bunch. There were two crime fiction books I rated my favorites for the month...

I absolutely loved From Russia With Love. The movie has always been a favorite and the book is a lot like the movie, but even better.

See Also Deception was the 2nd book in a great series by Sweazy.  It has two big pluses for me: a strong woman in the lead role and an interesting setting in time and place (1960's North Dakota).

On this 3rd day of September, I am in the middle of a short story anthology, Grifters & Swindlers edited by Cynthia Manson. And also reading another book from my Classics List, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham.