![]() Book name: Passing Author: Nella Larsen Genre: Novel, Historical fiction Goodreads: Link Storygraph: Link “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.” Set in the 1920s New York, the story mainly revolves around two women; Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry. Irene has settles to a comfortable life when it is disrupted by the arrival of a Childhood Friend Clare Kendry who is 'passing' which is described the practice of people crossing the colour line and all the opportunities and dangers that comes with it. Irene who is the protagonist of the novel through whose eyes we experience the novel is a complicated character and the reader is left uncertain of her true intentions. At times she is in awe of Clare and wishes she is brave of enough to do the same while at other times she is horrified at her recklessness and the risks she takes. This also makes her an unreliable narrator, especially with her views towards Clare Kendry, the reader is left uncertain if she is describing what actually took place or what she imagines took place. Irene seems even unwilling to acknowledge what Clare has done and continues to refer to her by her maiden name and tries to remember her as she was in her youth. Irene considers what Clare has done by 'passing' as a danger not just to Clare but to her and the comfortable life she has built for herself. This is made even more complicated by the fact that Irene herself occasionally Passes in order to go to a fancy restaurant and allow people to think she is white. Hence it begs the question whether Irene even has the right to criticize Clare for Passing when she herself does it. In fact at the start of the novel, you feel that the story is being related by someone who is white Apart from barriers related to race, another theme that I saw strongly as a theme was class barriers. Irene's hostility towards Clare for her recklessness; imagined or otherwise might be due to the fact that Clare is not only 'Passing' the race barrier but also the class barrier as it is stated that Clare comes from a more humble background as a daughter of a Janitor compared to Irene's own status. Another interesting aspect where this is brought up is with regard to Irene's husband Brian who cautions their children with tales of horror such as lynching which Irene seems to dismiss fears of such things. This might be a reflection of the fact that her husband who unlike Irene is unable to pass given his complexion is fully aware of the dangers while Irene seems to take comfort in her class status and the privilege it affords. Recommendation The book is fairly short and it moves at a brisk pace which makes it fairly quick read. However the book has alot to unpack and contains many layers which you might be able to uncover with multiple readings. Quite liked the book and would recommend it. Quotes Clare remarked, thoughtfully : “You know, ’Rene, I’ve often wondered why more coloured girls, girls like you and Margaret Hammer and Esther Dawson and— oh, lots of others— never ‘passed’ over. It’s such a frightfully easy thing to do. If one’s the type, all that’s needed is a little nerve.” 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. “How could you know? How could you? You’re free. You’re happy. And,” with faint derision, “safe.”
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December 2023
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