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A review by erinlcrane
Passing by Nella Larsen
5.0
Very engaging read, and it worked well as an audiobook. I've wanted to read the book for a while, so when I watched the movie recently, I knew I needed to get to it. I was very curious to see how some aspects of the movie would play out in the book.
First off, there's a queer undertone to the movie that I don't really see in the book. You could make the case that it's in the book, but the movie adds some specific shots and lines that say a /lot/ without actually saying it. It felt like more of a stretch to interpret the book that way with any certainty, but that's just my opinion. There could very well be coded stuff going on that I'm not aware of.
The other part of the movie that I was really interested to compare to the book was the ending. It's very ambiguous what happens between Clare and Irene in front of that window. It's still ambiguous in the book, but because you are inside Irene's head, you get a lot more of her own questioning of what happened, so that added a lot to the moment.
Speaking of being in Irene's head, I loved that. The tea room thoughts she has while Clare is looking at her, but Irene doesn't recognize her. It's not stream of consciousness, but it is very close to the kind of internal monologuing some people do. Questioning herself, rationalizing her actions, obsessing over anxious thoughts. That remains one of my favorite styles of narration.
I read Sula recently, so this book reminded me of that one. Not in style, but in creating these contrasting women who were friends as kids and then reunite. Drama ensues. Irene is your rule follower, straight-laced type, and Clare is more transgressive and bold. I'd recommend Sula to anyone who enjoyed this book, with the disclaimer that the writing is very different.
First off, there's a queer undertone to the movie that I don't really see in the book. You could make the case that it's in the book, but the movie adds some specific shots and lines that say a /lot/ without actually saying it. It felt like more of a stretch to interpret the book that way with any certainty, but that's just my opinion. There could very well be coded stuff going on that I'm not aware of.
The other part of the movie that I was really interested to compare to the book was the ending. It's very ambiguous what happens between Clare and Irene in front of that window. It's still ambiguous in the book, but because you are inside Irene's head, you get a lot more of her own questioning of what happened, so that added a lot to the moment.
Speaking of being in Irene's head, I loved that. The tea room thoughts she has while Clare is looking at her, but Irene doesn't recognize her. It's not stream of consciousness, but it is very close to the kind of internal monologuing some people do. Questioning herself, rationalizing her actions, obsessing over anxious thoughts. That remains one of my favorite styles of narration.
I read Sula recently, so this book reminded me of that one. Not in style, but in creating these contrasting women who were friends as kids and then reunite. Drama ensues. Irene is your rule follower, straight-laced type, and Clare is more transgressive and bold. I'd recommend Sula to anyone who enjoyed this book, with the disclaimer that the writing is very different.